


Resurgence

by GrimDoll



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU, DCU (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Angst, But with a good ending probably, Canon Universe, Canonical Character Death, Gen, M/M, Not Really Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-10-13 13:30:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 47,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10514733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrimDoll/pseuds/GrimDoll
Summary: Tim Drake's death was only the beginning. He was left behind, isolated, and just when darkness was about to consume him, light showed up- in the form of a boy named Conner Kent.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, this started out as a small idea, and slowly but surely turned into my attempt at fixing some of the problems I have with the DC Rebirth. 
> 
> Canon is a bit of a mish mash-  
> *Most of it is DC Rebirth, and the events of Detective comics that led to Tim's "death" did happen.  
> *Tim himself and most of the Batfamily history is taken from the pre new-52 (So Tim was Robin before becoming Red Robin, and has been adopted by Bruce.  
> *Conner isn't Superboy in this universe (Just like in the Rebirth)
> 
> *Characters to be added as we go. Maybe some ships as well.
> 
> If you enjoyed the fic, feel free to buy me coffee!  
> ko-fi.com/shanigrim

Tim Drake truly believed he was going to die.  
 

Every fiber in his body told him that this was the end. He couldn’t even see past the swarm of enemies, he was tired and already beaten, blood drying against his suit. And even though he wanted to live more than anything- he already accepted the inevitable and said his goodbyes in his heart.  
  
Tim Drake died.

It wasn’t as painful as he imagined. No more than a strong hit to his head, and he already had worse. God knows he already had much worse than that. This was nothing but a flash of white, then black, then nothing.  
It all seemed to go more or less according to what he expected dying to be- until he woke up.  
 

His body was still hurting, dirt and blood and sweat still apparent against his Red Robin outfit. Around him was a small, bright room with no windows. Everything seemed empty, like it wasn’t really there. There weren't any lights, but the room seemed well lit. Furniture seemed to appear when he needed it and disappear when he didn’t. It didn’t seem like heaven, and it wasn’t hell, and anyway Tim didn’t really believe in both.  
 

He did believe the stranger that came in after some time and told him he was kidnapped to a weird limbo dimension. Well, not the dimension thing, at least not at the beginning. But he did believe he was kidnapped. That made much more sense than being dead, or in purgatory.  
   
Well, if he was just abducted, that meant there was hope. Soon enough, people will start looking for him. Batman, Dick, even the Teen Titans. Someone is going to come and save him. Obviously. They were all smart people and surely they'll find a way to get to him.  
   
Except time has passed and no one came. He couldn't tell exactly how long have passed. There wasn't any clear days or nights in his prison, and his sleeping habits we're too messed up even before he got here to keep a normal cycle. But he could guess it was most likely over three weeks.  
And yet still, nothing.       
   
Maybe this was hell.  
   
"You look bothered, Timothy." His captor looked down at him from his place behind what seemed like a clear glass wall. "Is everything alright?"  
   
"Oh, what do you think?" Tim grunted quietly, and shot a sharp look to the man from his place on the bed. The man was elusive, at best. He seemed like the blandest person to ever exist, someone who won't even attract a second look. Maybe that’s what made him the perfect man for the job, Tim couldn't describe him to others even if he wanted to. It's like as long as the man wasn't in front of him, he couldn't even tell how he looked.  
   
"What do I think?" The surprise on his captors face seemed utterly and absolutely fake. "Does it matter what I think Timothy? The facts are these: your vitals are stable,  you're well nutritioned, you're wounds are healing..." The man stopped to examine Tim, and the younger man almost felt the need to shrug under the gaze.  
   
"Oh, I know what this is." The man's lips stretched to a calm, sympathetic smile. "Timothy, my dear, they're not coming."  
"Shut the fuck up." Tim blurted out, before he could think about the fact that aggravating his kidnapper is probably a bad idea. _That was dumb_ he thought to himself, _jason would be proud._  
  
"The sooner you'll accept it, the easier it will be for you." His captor didn't seem bothered. Tim took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Maybe if he pretends he's alone, the man would just give up and go. Maybe he'll just give him his quiet back. It wasn't an amazing solution, but it was probably better than this conversation.  
  
Because there were many like these. Conversations, that is. At the beginning Tim thought his captor enjoyed them, had some sadistic pleasure at reminding Tim how alone he was in the situation. But if he did enjoy it- the man didn’t show. Soon enough Tim learnt that giving no reply would result in him being left to himself.  
Not this time.  
  
He could still feel it, the gaze on him, could still feel the slight chill in the air when the man opened his mouth to speak.  
“I was under the impression that you were supposed to be a smart young man, and yet here you are, refusing to accept simple truths.”

 “Simple?” Tim jerked in his place, opening his eyes once again to glare at the other. “Does any of that looks simple to you? Really?” He shook his head, pushing himself up from the bed and to his feet. “There’s nothing simple about being stuck in limbo and not even knowing why.”

 “The answer will come to you when you’ll need it.” Was the only answer he got. “And it might come faster if you finally accept the fact that **no one** is going to come for you, Tim.” The use of his name like that, in it’s casual form, brought Tim to a halt, he could barely remember the times his captor used that name with him. This was different, and different probably wasn’t good.

 “I can show you your funeral, if that will help you to finally realize it. You want to see it? It was a lovely event,  very touching. So many people showed up.” The man continued.    
“Stop it.” Tim shook his head, tightening his lips to a thin, pale line . “I don’t want to hear this.”

 “Dick cried, a lot. Hey if that brings any joy to you I can tell you that even Damien shed a tear when no one else was looking. Jason didn’t even bother to show up.”  
“Stop!” Tim raised his voice, just a little bit, using the voice he learned so well from Batman.

 “Oh, and Bruce. You want me to tell you about Bruce? How hard it must be for him to lose a child ag-”  
“I said stop it!”

 If it wasn’t for the invisible wall between them, Tim would've hit the man. Instead, his fist slammed against nothing, sending shivers from his arm and to his shoulder. His captor didn’t flinch, instead, a sly grin spread on his lips. Tim averted his eyes down, letting out a soft huff. He didn’t want to hear any of that, didn’t want to think about all the agony this caused to the others, to his family. He didn’t want to dwindle on the thought of everyone he cares about being so hurt, all of this while he was alive. What a miserable situation. This just wasn’t fair.  
But what in their line of duty was really fair, anyway.   

 “Just… Leave me alone, please.” The young man muttered under his breath. The room almost seemed to spin around him for a moment, and he just wanted to be alone again.  
The man didn’t say a word as he disappeared, and Tim slid against the wall until he was on his knees. From there, it was an easy shift to get himself sitting, back against the invisible wall. While his breath steadied, he ordered himself to think.  
   
They had a funeral.  
People thought he was dead, he was supposed to be dead. Why would anyone search for a dead person? It’s not their fault if they don’t come for him. It's not like people we're constantly dying only to not actually be dead and come back to life. It’s not like it happened in their own family, and more than once for that matter.  
_Yeah sure, being sarcastic and depressed is the best option right now,_ he thought to himself, _get over it and start acting.  
_ If they’re not going to come for him, he will have to get to them.

Yes. That will do. All he needed was just one call, one word to get to someone, _anyone_. And then another person will know he’s alive. Finally, in this endless pit of nothingness, he had something to strive for, something to do, something to think about. Sending out a message sounded like a simple step, something he could definitely achieve if he put his mind into it. And for Tim- that first step was hope.

 The first thing he checked was his Red Robin gear. All these computers, and electronics he carried in his belt had to amount to something. Most of the things that needed charging were dead, and the rest were almost dead. It took him what he guessed were two days to get him communication device to work. But, of course, there wasn’t any signal.  
He could try improvising an antenna to boost the signal. It was a reach, but it was worth the try.  

 That only left one problem.  
Up until now he was able to conceal his efforts. To place his back to the invisible wall, hide in the safety of the corner with the parts in his lap. He could hide all the pieces in his belt when he wasn't working. If anyone caught onto what he was trying, they didn't show it. But an antenna would surely end up visible. That will blow his cover quickly, and he had no clue what the repercussions might be.

 As always, logic was his solace. They didn't harm him in any way so far. The opposite was true, they made sure he was healthy and well. That meant they must've needed him alive, for whatever reason that Tim couldn't yet understand.  
But what if he's breaking a rule that no one told him about? What if they are fully willing to hurt him, and are just waiting for an excuse?

 Tim ignored these worries with a shrug. Even if they’ll hurt him, he thought bitterly, it would be better than this nothingness that almost drove him insane. Sometime he wished they’d do something just to remind him he still exists.  

 It took a day, he guessed, before his captor showed to ask him about that.  
“What are you building over there, Timothy?”

 Tim could feel his body tense when he heard the familiar voice. He contemplated the idea of not answering, but ignoring the other didn’t help him a lot the last time he tried that. So he answered, voice as serious and as straight as it could be, giving away nothing about how he felt.  
“It’s not really your business.”

 “Oh, Timothy.” The man almost sounded disappointed for a sliver of a moment. Just for show, obviously. To play with him. “You are my business, and so is everything you do.”  
“And if I won’t tell you?” Tim wondered.  
  
“I’ll take it away.” was the answer he got. With a long, drawn out breath, Tim placed the part he was working on back on the bed and turned to look at his captor. His lips were stretched to a thin, stern line as he answered.  
“I’m making an antenna in order to help me contact the outside world.”

 Tim expected anger, contempt, threats to stop and at least ten other possibilities to be thrown his way in response. What he didn't expect was the sly, condescending smile on his kidnapper’s face when he said “So you have finally given up on a rescue mission and decided to take your fate into your own hands. I'm proud of you Timothy.”

 Tim quirked his eyebrows, surprise easily visible even if just for a second. “You’re not going to stop me?”  
“Why would I stop an effort that is futile?” The man wondered, and Tim could feel anger peaking inside his chest in response.  
“I’m pretty good with things like that, since you seem to know everything about me you should know that.” The young man got up to his feet, eyes cold as he stared at his captor. Sometimes he wasn’t sure why he still tries that, talking big, looking high and mighty. It never seem to have any effect, and yet again and again he tried. Probably it was the power of habit, the effects of living beside the Bat.  
“I’m sure if I work on it enough, I can reach the outside.”

 The man just looked at him. Looked at him for a moment that only got more and more infuriating the more it lingered. And just before it became unbearable, he spoke.  
“You can’t do anything that I do not want you to do. Remember that”

 And then he went away.  
And he didn’t come back.

It took Tim an extra day to finish his antenna, and then three more days to try every upgrade and alteration he could think about to make it work. After that, it took about two more days for him to realize he is out of ideas and throw the damned thing against the wall. With a large crash sound, the pieces scattered all over the floor.  
He was sure the noise will, at least, cause his captor to appear again and ask some questions. He was already closing in on a week completely alone, the longest time yet to pass without a visit. Tim bitterly wondered how bad was his situation if he was missing it. Even the gaudy teasings and cryptic answers of his kidnapper seemed better to him than being completely and utterly alone in a room that had nothing.

 If they were trying to break him, the may have been really starting to succeed.

 He decided to spend his days mostly asleep. It was a weird thing to do. For so many years, Tim was used to doing the exact opposite. He could go without sleeping for periods of time any other person would consider crazy. Even Dick commented about it from time to time.  
Will he ever see Dick again? Or talk to Steph? Or meet Bruce? Hell, he would even take hearing Damian calling him names. He thought about them a lot, the last few days. Tim wondered if it meant he was giving up, saying goodbye in his mind once again, even though they couldn’t hear him.

 So… Sleeping.  
That seemed the only way he had to escape these thoughts. If proved useless after some time, because there is a limit to how much a person can sleep, as unmotivated as he may be. Still, he stayed in bed. Maybe if he played dead, his captor will come to check on him.

 And then, one day, everything changed with a single noise.

  _Beep._

 Tim’s eyes flew open. He could recognize the soft beeping noise of his communication device restarting anytime. There was no chance this was real, just his mind playing tricks on him. But even though he insisted on thinking so, his body shot up, moving by itself. His hands snatched the device and pulled it close.

 And it was _on_.

 Tim wasn’t an idiot, and not quite yet insane, hopefully. He knew there is no logical way for the device work. But it was right in front of him, the soft blue light that the screen casts every time it’s on was coloring his face brightly. If he listened closely he could hear the soft buzz indicating the thing was working.

 And just like that, in a moment, logic didn’t matter at all.  
This was his chance. If he was just dreaming or hallucinating all of this, so be it.  
Tim didn’t have his earpiece anymore, so writing would have to do. He tapped quickly, as if the device might turn back off in any moment.

  _‘Is anyone there?! I’m alive! Help me!’_

 He watched with wary eyes as the message was sent. The slight movement of the blue light made him realize his hands were shaking. Funny how he didn’t even notice.     
About a million thoughts passed through his head at once. Like the fact that he should probably sit down, try to hide this. He planned at least twelve different scenarios based on which person will answer his call. For the last few days, it almost felt like his brain had stopped working, but now everything came rushing back at once.  
But, somehow, the answer that appeared on the screen still managed to catch him off guard.  

  _‘Wtf!? Who is this? How did you get my number?!’_

 Tim froze.  
The first thing that flew into his mind was worry, and right after it a command to relax. Panic won't help him now, so he better not fall to it.

  _‘It’s me. It’s Tim.’  
_ He typed back. And this time his brain felt empty as he waited for an answer. The abundance of thoughts making it's way to a quiet, crawling feeling in his stomach. The feeling that something wasn't right.

  _‘I don't know any Tim… sorry.’_

 Something definitely wasn't right. Who did his device contact? He had to think fast.

  _‘sorry if I scared you. I'm in a hurry. What's your name?’_  
For a long moment, he was sure that the other person isn't going to answer, and his heart ached. It may have been silly. He didn't even know this person. But it was someone, it was a step. It was hope. He almost forgot he had that.  
“Please…” he found himself whispering softly, clenching the device so tight his fingers started turning red.

  _‘Conner.’_

 Tim tried to scan through his head quickly, see if he knows any Conner, or if he knows about any superhero who’s real name is Conner. Nothing came to mind.  A part of him wondered if this was some kind of a sick joke. Maybe this was his captors playing with him, trying to examine his reactions.  
For a moment he thought that he should just put the device down and ignore this. He’s not going to give them what they was so easily. He isn’t going to let them play with him.

 Expect… what if this was real? What if putting this device down meant putting his only hope away? Tim let out a low, drawn out sigh. With a quick, easy step he turned around the leaned his back against the wall, slowly sliding down until he was sitting on the ground.  
If this was a game, he already started playing.

  _‘Hey Conner, I know this must be weird. But can I ask you for a small favor?’_

  _‘Dude, can’t you just call your family or something?’_ came the answer, _‘This is kinda weird.’_

 Tim sighed again, this time quietly. If this was indeed just a random civilian, he can’t just blurt out this information about limbo and dying and Batman. Hell, his story might sound weird even to some people who actually were in the superhero community. If he’s going to explain things, he’ll have to be as vague as possible.

  _‘It’s a pretty long story. And it might sound like I’m lying, or crazy. But I’m promise I’m not. So just… be open minded and let me explain, okay?’_

  _‘Okay.’_

 Tim took a long breath. He organized the words in his mind before he wrote them.  
_‘I was kidnapped and isolated for over a month and, for some reason, the only number I managed to reach out to is your number. I  don’t have any clue why it reached your phone, really. I was trying to contact my family. Right now I think it’s probable I won’t manage to contact the outside again, so I need you to pass a message to my family for me. I need you to let them know I’m alive’_

 For a long moment, the young man just stared at his own words, written on the screen. There is no way it will work. It was too much, too out worldly even with all the actually weird stuff left out. If Tim was honest, he wouldn’t believe it himself. The longer he thought about it, the more this seem hopeless, the more it seemed like the screen was laughing at him, mocking him. Shining light on his face, working, but completely useless. He nibbled at his lower lip and sent the text.  

The minutes that passed later felt as stretched out as they possibly could, which was amazing, because the concept of time in this place seemed pretty wrapped in the first place. And then Conner answered, and his answer didn’t help at all.  
_‘Your writing is pretty organized for a crazy person.’_

  _‘Ha. Was this a joke?’ Tim answered before he could think about it_. When facing no better option, he could always fall back on being sarcastic. Which probably wouldn’t help, but it might make this less painful.

  _‘Is this a prank..? This is a prank right?’_

  _‘I can assure you I’m dead serious about this.’_  
A slight ‘thump’ sound echoed inside the room when Tim bumped his head against the wall behind him. He can’t really tell him about Red Robin, but using the Wayne name might help.  
_‘Listen, I come from a very wealthy family. I promise you, if you help me, I’ll make it worthwhile for you.’_

  _‘Okay, now I know this is a prank.’_

 Tim let out a sort grunt. Why was he such a hard person to crack?  
_‘No, I’m serious. My name is Tim Drake Wayne. I was adopted by Bruce Wayne at the age of fifteen after the death of my father.’_ There wasn’t a lot of information on this online, since Bruce successfully kept their private life to themselves. At this moment, he prayed for some more details that he can let out.

' _If you look at pictures, I’m usually the second highest.’  
_ Well, third if Jason was there, but more often than not he wasn’t. _‘The oldest son is Dick Grayson, the little demon is Damian. I’m not sure what more I can say to convince you, help me out here.’_   

  _‘Wait, I'm checking all of this.’_

 This was probably a good start. At least this guy stopped dismissing him completely.  
The next wait was, understandably, longer. In order to distract his mind from the agonizing wait, Tim dragged himself up to him feet. With the communication device still in his hand, he went to the sink and sprayed some water on his face.  He wondered what he would look like in the mirror, if he had a mirror. They kept him well fed, so he probably didn’t lose weight, but he didn’t really practice and spent most of the time in bed, so his muscle mass must’ve taken a slight hit. His hair was longer, and perhaps he finally got rid of those black bags under his eyes- only to be replace with an anxious expression.

 Tim was halfway from the sink and back to his bed when the device beeped again.  
_‘Everything checks so far.’  
_ His moment of relief was short, because then Conner added. _‘But the Wayne family is pretty famous, you could’ve just taken all of this from the internet.’_

 Cracking Riddler cases was easier than that. Tim sat on the bed, leaning back and folding one leg underneath him when he answered.  
_‘And what if I gave you something only I can give? Something that will prove it?’_

  _‘Like what?’_

  _‘Dick Grayson’s phone number.’_  
He couldn’t just give the number to the manor, but Dick would probably forgive him for giving his number to a stranger once he figured out Tim was alive, so this was a risk worth taking. If this would prove his point, and get this man on his side, that would be good enough.  
After the other agreed, he sent the number.

 Another long break between messages came through. All of a sudden, so many things happened at once. Usually, in his actual life, this was nothing more than a quiet Wednesday. But he got so used to nothingness, that even this much felt overbearing. All of a sudden, the realization he had no idea what was happening to him dug in, and it dug in hard.  Tim found himself gripping the device as if his life depended on it.

  _‘Okay, I believe you.’_

 Tim jumped a little bit in his place when he saw that. He did it. He let out a deep sigh, filled with relief.  
_‘Did you tell him about me?’_

  _‘Not yet… I chickened out. Sorry.’_

  _‘It’s fine.’  
_ It was better than nothing, anyway.

  _‘Listen man, can I think about this a little bit? I’m sorry.’_

 A part of Tim wanted to scream that no. It wasn’t fine. He was stuck in here for much too long and tomorrow he might not have this single link to reality anymore. But he forced himself to take a deep breath, even if the link was cut, that guy still had his name, his family names and Dick’s number. So he might do this for him even if Tim wasn’t there to make sure he did.  
The only thing he wrote in response was _‘sure’_ before dropping the device onto the mattress with a soft thump.

 And just like that, Tim was back with his own thoughts. A million of them at least, buzzing in his ears so loud it felt like the room was filled with bugs. Thoughts that drove him crazy. He felt hope, and bitterness, and fear and anxiousness, and he felt all of them at once.  
Because no matter how hard he tried to figure it out, there was no explanation to this. No way for him to make sense of anything that happened to him today. And Tim always hid his insecurities and doubts behind logic. Today had left him with nowhere to hide.  

 And no place to bury his thoughts either. He sighed and picked the device right back up, as if he didn’t just dropped it. The stared into the blue light until his eyes hurt, re-reading every single word.

 So he indulged himself in his only distraction, hoping the other will be kind enough to play along with him.  
_‘So you know I’m from Gotham. Where are you from?’_

 Luckily, Conner answered.  
_‘Metropolis. Why?’_

  _‘I guess I’m trying to realize why I got to you out of all people.”_ Tim admitted.

  _‘Any luck?’_

  _‘Not at all.’_

 Because in fact, it made even less sense now. No matter how much he tried to think about it, he couldn't find a reason. It was almost frightening in how it made this seem like an illusion. Because of course if they wanted to play with his mind, they'd invent someone he had no reason to know. That way he couldn't spot any wrong details, any mistakes in writing styles or misleading facts. It was someone completely unknown to him, a blank slate.

  _‘So how is Metropolis? It's pretty cool right?’_ he typed before he'd tie himself into a knot he had no way of releasing. Tim was good at overthinking, but he was also good at distracting himself given the opportunity.

  _‘It’s ok, I mean… normal I guess. I don't live in a fancy area.’_ Was the reply he got, and thank god for Conner finally answering with something that wasn't disbelief or suspicion. _‘I’ve seen Superman once. From really far away though.’_

  _‘I'm pretty sure everyone in Metropolis have seen Superman.’_

  _‘whoa there, you're being pretty snarky considering I'm your only saviour. Not everyone can see a hero just because he lives in the same city. It's not like you've seen Batman.’_

  _‘Actually, I did see Batman.’  
_ Well, Tim thought, he wasn’t really lying about it, just hiding some truths. Some very important, life altering truths.

  _‘No way. Is he as scary as they say?’  
_ Seeing that question was almost funny. Because sure, Batman was scary sometimes, but to him he was more than that. He was a smart and insightful leader. He was a respectable detective. He was an often harsh, yet supporting mentor. And he was a father. Not the best father out there, probably, but with all the intent of one. Tim got to be there throughout the years, and he had seen it all. So many sides to the Bat that most people didn’t even get to imagine.

 But to most people on the planet, Batman was just a scary, dark figure looming in the distance. He ended up going with a simple,   _‘Kind of? Pretty scary.’_

  _‘Well, oh my. Maybe you are cooler than I thought.’  
_ Conner’s reply brought a smile to his lips. He wondered if it was the crushing loneliness of the last few weeks that made him feel like he's getting along with the other. Maybe it was, and maybe he's just becoming way too much of a cynical idiot.

  _‘Yeah, I mean, way less scary than being kidnapped.’_

  _‘Oh, right.’  
_ For a moment he almost felt bad for making Conner uncomfortable.

  _‘Aren't you afraid you’ll get caught? Talking to me?’_

If Tim could send a shrug, he would,  
_‘I’m locked in a room. And also I thought about that, and it’s worth the risk.’_

 ' _Are you just trying to play it badass?’_

  _‘Maybe. Does it work?’  
_ Maybe it wasn’t just his mind playing tricks on him, maybe they did get along. Their conversation went out better than he could predict. It seemed to flow smoothly, almost like they’ve done this before.

  _‘Well, you’re the only person I know that met Batman, and the only person I know that got kidnapped. So I guess you’re pretty high on my badass scale.’_  
That answer almost made a soft chuckle escape his throat.  
_‘Well, saving my life would make you a hero, and that’s pretty high on my badass scale.’_

  _‘...No pressure. Huh?’  
_ Ah, well. Maybe he shouldn't have brought up that issue again this fast.  

  _‘Listen, Tim.’_ Conner sent another message before Tim had the chance to answer and say everything’s fine and he didn’t meant to pressure.  
_‘It’s the middle of the night right now, but I'll call your family first thing in the morning. So even if they take your phone away from you, I’ll do it. So don’t worry.’_

 That was almost enough to punch the cynicism out of him, replacing it with a big sigh of relief. Tomorrow.  
Tomorrow Dick will know he's alive. Tomorrow he’ll take his first step toward home, start his long way out of here.  
There was still the highly likely chance that this was all fake. A game, a test, or any other possibility were all more logical that this just being a random occurrence. but to hell with it. Tonight, for the first time in a while, he'll  allow himself to go to sleep hopeful.

_  
‘Thank you, Conner’_


	2. Chapter 2

Metropolis was a fine city, it was beautiful, bright and grand. But you’d be safe to say that it was also pretty boring, at least for people like Conner. Sure, those who lived at the center got to enjoy the big city and it's perks. But for Conner, it was mostly one day after the other, working at his local Taco Bell and waddling his way back to his cramped apartment just three blocks away at the end of every shift. There was nothing beautiful about his house, it was just an old building, that no one ever bothered to renovate, so it was cheap. It wasn't like he lived in a bad neighborhood, but it was far from being one of  the best. And you could more or less for Conner himself.   
  
If you’d ask him, he couldn't really name one special thing about his life. It wasn't anything unique or exciting, even if he wanted it to be. Just a normal life for good old Conner, who never had the connections or the resources to get out of his routine, not even in the city of possibilities.  
  
He couldn’t complain, honestly. For someone coming out of the foster care system never having been adopted, his life could have been a lot worse. He knew that much. He could’ve been on the streets, or doing some questionably legal things, but he had a job, roof above his head, and paid bills. With all that, complaining just felt like being picky.   
  
And yet, things felt… empty. For a while he thought that it’s because he never knew his parents, but quickly Conner realize he doesn’t care for them at all. It seemed like he should care, but he didn’t remember anything about them. To him it was like they never existed. If that made him a bad human being then so be it. Maybe he needed friends, but he didn’t really remember any of the kids from the foster home- not by names, not by faces, definitely not by phone numbers. It was a weird feeling that he couldn’t explain to anyone, but sometimes he felt like he just plopped into existence. Nothing before this felt real. It was as if he just started living his life from where he is now. this is where he’d always been, and this is where he’ll always be.   
  
At least, until a stranger contacted him. 

That was a strange thing from the get go. The only people who ever contacted him were his boss, other employes who needed him to take over their shift, or his landlord. A stranger was never part of his plans.   
Even more so when the stranger came together with a weird story about being kidnapped, and connections to one of the most famous and powerful families around.  
  
He had every reason in the world to think someone was playing with him. Even if there was no one who liked, or hated, him enough to put so much effort into a prank.  
  
But there was something about Tim Drake.   
  
Maybe it was the way he wrote the outworldly things he did, in a tone that was serious and well pronounced but with a hint of sarcasm. Maybe it was the somewhat deadpan way he seemed to roll with Conner’s lame jokes. But if he had to really admit that to himself, he knew what it was:  
Tim Drake made him feel important. And Conner kind of liked how that felt, being important. In a weird way, it felt natural, almost calming. And he knew pretty fast that he was set on helping this stranger, no matter what it will take. Tim needed him, and that was more than he could say for anyone else.    
  
Maybe that's why he found himself, about an hour before his shift, dialing the number he received yesterday.   
Luckily for him, Tim’s connection with him still held when he woke up. It was a nice surprise, because a part of him was sure he'll wake up to find all of this was nothing but a fever dream. But Tim was still there, with instructions and tips. By his advice, Conner used a video call. Tim said that Dick Grayson was very much a faces person, and that seeing and reading his face will help Dick believe Conner was telling the truth.  
A part of Conner wondered if this was Tim's way of killing two birds in one stone. Because Conner didn't know how they sounded, but after searching for photos he knew how Dick looked. Seeing him will confirm Tim’s story entirely.  
  
Then the conversation connected and the first thing that went through Conner’s mind was  __ ‘holy shit’.  
  
Because Dick Grayson was undoubtedly the most gorgeous men he has ever seen.    
It wasn’t just that he was good looking, even though he was definitely a lot more handsome than the average person. It was the way he held himself, with lightness that was apparent even when he narrowed his bright eyes and leaned in against the screen. There seemed to be a certain elegance to the way he moved. Something that was nothing like anything Conner could remember from his own life. Maybe that was just how rich people acted.  
  
“You’re the person who called me yesterday night and just hung up.” Dick’s voice reminded Conner that this was, in fact, a conversation. For a moment he felt stupid for not expecting that, and he could feel his face turning just the slightest bit of red.   
  
“Um, yeah… Sorry about that. But I really need to talk to you. Ah, my name is Conner, by the way.”   
Conner had to shift a little bit in his seat. If he was trying to look serious or professional, he was probably doing a bad job.   
  
“Okay.” Dick nodded, examining his face as he spoke. “Then how about we start with you telling me how you got my number? Because I don’t believe we’ve ever met.”  
  
“Oh, Tim gave it to me.”   
The words left Conner’s mouth before he had the chance to think that maybe this wasn't a good idea. Maybe it was better to be gentle when you tell someone about their kidnapped brother, who they thought might be dead. The face that Dick had while hearing it only made it clearer that he fucked up. Because Dick showed alarm for a sliver of a second before his eyes narrowed even more than before, a mixture of disbelief and suspicion clear in them.   
  
“Tim.” he said, and his voice was sharp, almost demanding, in a way that made Conner jerk up just a little bit. “As in, Tim Drake?”   
  
“Y-yeah…” Conner could feel himself shrugging. This was going south, quickly.  
  
“I’m not sure you know what you’re getting into. But this is not something to joke about.” He could see Dick’s jaw clenching for a moment before he added. “Who did you say you were again?”   
  
“No. Wait, I’m not joking. I really mean it!” Conner spoke quickly, barely breathing between words. “He sent me a message yesterday out of nowhere. I thought this was bullshit but I guess it's not and he wanted me to talk to you! I swear!” He could feel his cheeks turning redder under the inspecting eye of Dick Grayson. One important thing in his life, and he manages to fuck in up in less than five minutes. It was probably showing, how stressed he was, because Dick quickly leaned back and gave a tiny wave with his hand as he said.  
  
“Hey, it’s okay. Calm down.”   
And he did. Because even in this weird situation, there was something about Dick that was reassuring.    
“Good.” Dick spoke again after he saw him relax, a soft smile on his face. “Now, I don’t know who you think you talked with, but my brother is dead, so it can’t be him. I’m sor-.”  
  
“But he’s not dead!” Conner interrupted before Dick had the chance to finish. It was weird, all of a sudden he had the opposite role in something very similar to what happened yesterday. Trying to convince someone else in what sounded completely out of left field. But unlike yesterday, he had an ace up his sleeve. “Wait. I’ll prove to you that I’m talking to him. I’ll ask him to tell me something only he can know, okay?”  
With a quick tap of his fingers, he opened the message window and wrote to Tim.   
  
__ ‘I need a way to prove to Dick that you’re really, well, you.’  
  
The answer came quickly, and Conner read it out loud. “He says I should tell you about that time you bought him popcorn and then both of you went to see Batman fighting Hugo Strange on the roof. Wait did you really do that? That sounds awesome.”  
  
Except he didn’t get an answer. Because during this one sentence, Dick’s face went from suspicion to shock again, and finally to a realization. His eyes widened, his mouth hung open- and by the time Conner finished speaking he was already on his legs, a wide smile stretching his lips.   
“Where did you say you live?” He asked, unsuccessfully trying to hid the fact he was scrambling around his room to get some things off of the closet.    
  
“I... didn’t. I’m from Metropolis.” Conner said, and no matter what he thought, he couldn’t expect the replay that came next.  
  
“I’ll be at your place in a few hours. Okay? So wait for me there.”   
  
“Wait- I-”   
  
“Just wait for me. Please.” Dick said again, and then he hung up. Conner didn’t even have the time to realize he never gave him his actual address.  
He placed the phone down on his table, and with slow steps moved to the small bathroom to wash his face. Why did the world decided to throw him into the middle of the Wayne family? A family he could already guess was a little crazy. He had no clue. But this seem to be the case. It was only two days, and he was already getting way too involved. It was probably dangerous, and maybe also stupid, but he did it willingly.   
This was way more interesting than a shift in Taco Bell, anyway. 

 

\--   
  


Conner had never had a shift that went as slow as the one today. Every minute seemed to crawl two times slower than usual. Which made a slow, boring weekday even worse than it already was. He had to pull all of his favors- which wasn’t the hardest, since he didn’t ask for favors a lot- to get out an hour early.   
It had occurred to him, as he slipped on a jacket and hurried out of his workplace, that Dick still didn’t ask where he lived, and Conner still didn’t tell him. So maybe he gave up on coming over. It seemed implausible, but maybe something came up on the way. Conner had no way of knowing.  
  
He did, however, get a new message from Tim, which was just a simple  __ ‘Did he arrive yet?’  
  
With a small shrug that no one could see, Conner answered.   
__ ‘I had to go to work, so I don’t know. He didn’t call me again though.’  
  
_ ‘Oh. Well, let me know when you see him.’  _ Tim seemed more sure than him about Dick arriving, so maybe Conner had to be more confident himself. Instead, he changed the subject.   
  
__ ‘Are you okay over there? Did they hurt you?’   
  
__ ‘No one caught me with the phone yet, so I’m okay’   
  
__ ‘Good. I was worried.’   
Which was a weird concept, being worried for a person he didn’t actually know. Someone who only shared a few texts with him and nothing more. Maybe it was just because of the situation and how crazy it was, but being concerned for Tim seemed to come naturally for him.   
With eyes still glued to his phone screen, he shoved a hand into the pocket of his jacket in search for his keys. However, before he had the chance to shove them into the building’s front door, some figure moved next to him, and he heard a voice say.   
  
“I waited here since you weren’t home. Hope it’s okay.”  
  
It took him a moment to realize that voice belonged to Dick Grayson.   
  
“How did you..?” Conner jumped a little bit in his spot as he turned around to face his visitor, an expression of pure surprise of his face. “I’m pretty sure I didn’t give you my address?”   
  
“Oh, I traced it.” Dick said with a shrug and a smile on his face as if it wasn’t important, just a matter to joke about. And that was absurd, because did he just say he traced his house? Wasn’t that crossing some legal lines? In any other situation, he would probably get angry at something like that, but Dick had something. Something that was even more apparent face to face than it was in a video call. And it wasn’t just him being gorgeous, which for the second time today, Conner has to realise that he was. It was that same elegance that Conner noticed during the call, but it felt stronger. Dick moved gracefully and calmly even when he just stood there, as if he just filled the air in a unique way. And his confident smile was enough to calm the anger inside of Conner before he even had the chance to feel it.   
  
Funny thing, these rich people.   
A part of him wondered if Tim would also be like this. And very quickly he realized he prefered Tim wasn’t. Because sure, this was calming and reassuring, and he didn’t feel like Dick was looking down on him or anything. But he did feel a certain awe, and he thought to himself that no matter how much he tried, he could never fully occupy the same space that Dick Grayson did. He was on another level completely, saved for people who were very different from Conner himself.   
  
“I know it must be weird, but I hope you can forgive me, because of the situation.” Dick spoke again, probably noticing the expression on Conner’s face, and the young man found himself shaking his head, finally pulling his keys out of his jacket.   
  
“It’s no big deal.” He mumbled, opening the front door and letting the other go in before him. “I was just surprised I guess, is all.”   
  
“I did fall on you out of nowhere.” Dick nodded, a pleasent smile still on his face. “So I get that.” He followed Conner as he went up the stairs the to the first floor, and then to the door on the right. Maybe he should’ve cleaned the place a little before he left this morning. But it was too late for that now.   
  
“It’s pretty small, I hope you don’t mind.” Conner said when they got in, hiding an insecure pout by walking towards the small kitchen.   
  
“Are you kidding me? It’s pretty much what I had when I was your age.” Dick let out a short laugh. Conner stopped in his tracks, well that was surprising.   
  
“Really?” he quirked an eyebrow, finally feeling comfortable enough to look back at Dick, who just nodded and said.   
  
“I wasn’t __ always the rich Wayne kid, so I’m trying not to always live like one."  
  
“Oh-” For a moment, Conner felt bad for assuming. He pointed back towards the kitchen, hiding any guilt he felt with a question. “Do you want something to drink? I bet you spent a long time waiting there.”  
  
“Sure. Thanks” Dick nodded, instead of following him, he let Conner have the space he needed. Conner stopped inside the kitchen, letting out a long breath before picking up two glasses and filling them with water. It’s going to be fine. They were just talking, about his brother, who was kidnapped. Nothing to lose your head over, maybe just a little bit, maybe a lot.   
He shook his head once more before coming back to the main room, and handing a glass to Dick. He’d freak out about this some other time.   
  
“I’m going to skip to the point, I hope you’ll forgive me.” Dick let out another smile as he walked around and took a seat on the couch, and Conner almost immediately waddled after him and set on a chair. “Can you please tell me everything? From the beginning.”   
  
“Ah- yes.” Conner shifted a little in his place, he stared at his glass for a moment before lifting his eyes back to Dick, who still looked at him with honest and wondering eyes. “Well it’s not a long story really? I just randomly got a text from him yesterday? I think he was trying to reach you or your family but he got to me by mistake? He said it’s the only number he could connect to. Which now that I think about it is kinda weird. Like if you have signal you should just have signal right?” He accompanied the question with a shrug. “But he seemed to be serious about it, so I promised I’ll help him.”  
  
Dick listened quietly until he finished, and then nodded. “And that’s it?”   
  
“That’s it.”    
  
“Well, thank you for calling me.” Dick let out another bright smile, “Mind if I borrow your phone for a moment?   
  
Conner moved a little bit and pulled his phone out. He opened the conversation window before handing it to the other. Dick got up, and went towards the window, leaning his elbows against the edge and turning his back to Conner. That seemed logical, if he was finally talking to his little brother, he probably wanted some privacy. For a slight moment, Conner wondered what it will be like, to reunite with his family. He didn’t even know if something like that could happen. It seemed unlikely, even in this sliver of a second where he hoped, truly hoped, to meet them one day.   
Then the moment passed, and Conner got up and went back to his kitchen.    
  
  


\----  
  
  
It was a quiet day, weirdly calm. Maybe because he had someone to talk to, after guiding Conner through the conversation with Dick in the morning, Tim spent his entire day just waiting for the update.So when his screen lit up again, Tim expected a message from Conner telling him whether Dick arrived or not. He wasn’t prepared, however, to get a message from the first boy wonder himself. Definitely not one that read  
__  
‘Hey, little brother.’  
  
He could feel his heart freeze, just looking at these three words. The relief that this gave him almost hurt, it felt like someone punctured his lungs and squeezed all the air out. Maybe he really did it, maybe he got to Dick. Tim drew out a long, heavy sigh, and passed a hand through his hair. Answering took him longer than usual, and still all he managed was a short.  
  
__ ‘It’s been awhile, huh?’  
  
Somehow, it was almost funny, in how little this was. He was expecting the first time he contacted the others would be dangerous, or at the very least exciting. Like a very welcomed light at the end of the tunnel. He expected screaming and panic and sometimes, he allowed himself to imagine tears. This almost felt… mundane. Nothing like how he thought it would be. This almost felt like it wasn’t real. Tim wondered if that meant anything. And maybe Dick felt it too, because Dick wrote a lot, which was the equivalent of talking a lot. Dick was always chatty, but he talked even more when he needed to cover up an awkward situation.   
  
__ ‘Tim I’m so, so sorry. We had no idea over here. We were sure you died. I was so sure you were dead. If I had known… God.’  
  
Or maybe he just felt really guilty. This also made sense. Tim couldn’t blame him.   
  
__ ‘Shouldn’t you start by at least trying to make sure I’m really me?’   
Still, he couldn’t help but pointing out steps Dick forgot in his eagerness for a family reunion. He couldn’t be completely happy himself, not yet. Not before he knew if was real. Or at the very least believable enough to be real.   
  
_ ‘That time we had to pretend to be fighting but were just walking in circles waving our hands very dramatically?’  _ Dick replied, without much hesitation.  __ ‘Your turn.’  
  
_ ‘Jumping on a train blindfolded while talking about your girlfriends?’ _   
  
That seemed to be enough for Dick.   
__ ‘I’m so glad you’re alive, Timmy.’  
  
That seemed to be enough for Tim as well. He breathed in deeply, closing his eyes for a moment and let the shivers go through his spine. He actually did it, somehow, who knows how or why. It still defied all logic, but he did believe he was talking to Dick. Maybe because he had no choice but to believe it.   
__ ‘Sorry it took me so long to reach out.’   
  
Tim wished he could see him, hear him and talk to him at least. It would be easier, and would probably make make him feel more reassured about the whole situation. He knew he missed his family, but at this moment, he realised how much.  
  
__ ‘Are you okay? Did they hurt you?’  
  
__ ‘Yes, I am. And no, they didn’t.’  
  
__ ‘Where are you..?’  
  
Ah, yes. That was the big question, obviously. Tim held back a sigh before he typed.   
__ ‘I honestly have no idea. There’s no windows, no doors, it’s like I’m in a box. I’m pretty sure it involves magic. The guy here knows who all of us are, but I have never seen him before. He doesn’t look anything special.’   
He stopped, and scratched his head with a pout rising to his face. Even as he wrote that, Tim could tell how unhelpful it was.  All of it seemed far too general, this could be everywhere and nowhere. Maybe Bruce will know something, god knows if anyone had the resources and connections to figure something out it was the Batman. But even then, it could be a number of places.   
  
_ ‘I think it’s some sort of limbo prison.’  _ He added.   
  
_ ‘That… sounds strange. I’ll see what information we have, if we know about anything like that.’  _ Dick answered, ‘ __ That’s fine, we’ll manage.’  
Tim wondered who Dick was trying to convince there. He probably knew himself that this was very little to start from. He also knew better than to say it out loud.   
  
__ ‘I’ll talk to Bruce and get back to you with information as soon as I have some. Shouldn’t take me long, he’s probably on patrol now anyway.’   
  
_ ‘No small talk, huh?’   _ Tim joked. Because what else could he do? A short wait was nothing, compared to the time that have passed.   
  
__ ‘We’ll have time for small talk once you’re home safe.’   
  
Yes, that… seemed reasonable enough. Tim set the phone down on the bed next to him and got up on his feet. Once standing, he moved towards the invisible wall that kept him is his cell. There must be a way to open it and get out. Tim wasn’t even sure what was waiting for him out there, but how bad can it be compared to being locked between four walls? Definitely, his next step in getting back to reality was to escape his cell, and find more information about where he was held.   
  
It’s not like he didn’t try this before. Breaking the barrier was one of the first things he tried when he got here. Nothing worked back then, but now… If his communication device suddenly started working, maybe other things changed as well. 

  
  


\----

  
  
After a few minutes, Dick went into the small kitchen, a calm smile on his face, almost as if nothing happened. Conner was surprised, he thought they were going to have a long talk, but this seemed to end really quickly.   
  
“Are you finished?” He wondered, moving from his spot near the counter.   
  
“For now.” Dick replied with a short, graceful nod. “I have some… calls to make.” He hesitated for a moment, and in that moment so many emotions seemed to flash behind his blue eyes. Conner wasn’t even sure he grasped even half of them, but he could boil it down to a mixture of relief and regret. And then Dick continued. “I have to let the right people know, and then I can have some updates.”   
  
“Okay.” Conner nodded slightly, that seemed logical enough. “So do you want to stay here or..?”  His house was small, yet he guessed they could managed. But Dick just smiled again and let some black locks fall on his face with a tilt of his head.   
  
“Actually, I was hoping I could take your phone with me. I’ll make sure they’ll send you a new phone tomorrow morning, so you won’t have to suffer long without one.”  
  
Conner blinked.   
For some reason, he wasn’t even considering the possibility that an idea like this will surface. Maybe because normal people, people who weren't rich and probably crazy like the Wayne family, couldn’t just afford a brand new phone for a complete stranger on a whim. But now that the offer was up, yeah, maybe that was the logical solution. Tim always meant to reach his family, Conner was just a step in the way. He was just the messenger, and his job was done.  
  
Then why did this idea fill him with so much dread? He wanted to know for certain that Tim was safe, that's for sure. He didn't just want to know the other got home in the end, he wanted to know that he's fine right now, and constantly. He wanted to know nothing bad was happening to him over there while he waited. And maybe also, he just liked talking to him. Even if they didn't talk a lot, there was a sense of ease to the conversations they did have. But more than anything else, losing this almost felt like losing what little sense of purpose he had in life. Maybe that made him pathetic, so be it. This wasn’t a feeling he fully understood anyway, he just went with it.  
  
“Hey, you okay there?” Dick’s voice was questioning, a little worried. “You’re drifting off.”  
  
“I’m… yeah” Conner shook his head. “Listen, it’s going to sound weird but… can I keep the phone?”   
  
Dick held back for a moment. “I understand it might be uncomfortable for you, but for us it will be much easier to save Tim if we’ll be in direct contact with him.”   
  
“I- I know that!” Conner jerked a little in his place, a surprise look on his face. Sure, he was making a fool of himself, but he wasn’t that much of an idiot. “But I just want to make sure he’s alright, I guess? Just for tonight. I’ll give you the phone tomorrow.”   
  
That seemed to do the trick, at least for now. Dick moved forward and handed him his phone back. “I can tell that you’re worried about my brother.” He said, the soft smile back on his lips as he examined Conner’s face. For a moment, his eyebrows wrinkled, as if he was trying to figure out something that went through his head unexpectedly.   
  
“What is it?” Conner wondered quietly, not sure if he really needs to ask.   
  
“Did anyone ever tell you you look a lot like Superman?” Dick mumbled back, voice still deep in thought. Conner had to straighten a little at this remark because, no. No one ever told him anything like that. And even just hearing it now sounded crazy.  
  
“I- I do?” He fumbled around the words. “I’m not-”  
  
“I know you aren’t Superman.” Dick laughed and shook his head, the wondering expression leaving his face. “Besides, you’re too young to be him.”    
  
Conner scratched the back of his neck, an awkward laugh leaving his throat in return.  “Y-yeah… Anyway, thanks for letting me keep the phone for the night.”    
  
“You’re welcome.” Dick nodded. They both went the short distance from the kitchen to the front door, where Dick promised to come back early the morning after, and Conner promised to be awake for him in return.   
  
“Take good care of my brother for now.” Dick said, in what may have been a joke, or may have been serious. Conner couldn’t be sure. He didn’t leave him time to question this, however, because he disappeared down the stairs immediately after. Leaving Conner alone to wonder, once more, what he got himself into.     


	3. Chapter 3

This has got to be one of the stupidest things he has ever done. Which is saying something, because Tim did a lot of stupid things in his life. Some would say that volunteering to be Robin was the dumbest, but it was only the first. He had many chances to one up that, and most of them didn’t make him as proud as that one.   
  
Trying to physically break the barrier did not work at all, so he found himself kneeling and searching at the edges, trying with all his power to find something. And it was dumb, because there was nothing. The invisible wall connected seamlessly all the way through. There weren’t any cracks, holes or openings for Tim to even slip a finger outside. Part of him wondered how he’s still breathing, as he couldn’t spot any ventilation openings either. And it was stupid, because he was actively risking his life. Soon enough someone will come to stop him, and by the time Bruce gets here, Tim would  _ really _ be dead.    
  
Behind him, the screen of his communication device lit up again. Tim got back up to his feet and walked towards the bed, gently rubbing his lower back. He picked up the device and scanned the message.   
  
__ ‘You okay? It’s Conner, Dick left, said he’ll come back in the morning.’  
  
__ ‘He didn’t take the phone with him?’  
  
__ ‘He wanted to, but I asked to keep it for the night.’  
  
That was surprising, and more surprising was the fact that he was glad about that. Conner was a nice conversation partner, without the added stress or baggage of talking to his family.   
__ ‘And he actually let you?’  
  
__ ‘I guess he likes me.’  
  
__ ‘Dick likes everyone unless they give him a reason not to.’   
  
__ ‘Boy, you sure know how to make a man feel special.’  
Tim let out a short, quiet snort of laughter. Yes, that was, definitely, a welcomed distraction. It was nice to be able to talk to Conner a little more.   
  
_ ‘You know Dick erased all of your messages? What’s the secrecy.’  _ Conner added before Tim got to replying.   
  
_ ‘I’m not surprised, it’s safer for you this way.’ _ Well, he would’ve done the same. The last things he needed was for Conner- who was still technically a stranger- to read about jumping on trains and limbo dimensions.   
  
__ ‘I’m starting to think you are all exceptionally crazy, even for a stupid rich family.’   
Tim let a smirk rise to his lips.   
__ ‘You have no idea.’   
  
The sound of footsteps coming towards his cell cut the conversation short. So he did finally come over, just like Tim assumed he will.  
“What do you think you’re doing, Timothy?” The man asked, and Tim raised his gaze to look at him, not bothering to hide his scowl.  
  
“I’m getting out of here, is what I’m doing.” He shot back, pushing the device into a hidden pocket in his suit before crossing his arms.  
  
“Oh, are you?” The man pushed his eyebrows up in fake surprise. “And what makes you think you can, all of a sudden?”   
  
There was no good way for him to answer that. Tim didn't want to give any information he wasn't forced to let out. So giving out his reasoning was not something he would allow himself to do. Talking about his methods or ideas was a bad choice as well. If he was on the right track to get out of here, he didn't want to give his captors any preparation time. He settled on changing the subject with a vague replay. Maybe he'll get lucky and that would be it.  
  
“You can't keep me here forever.” With a low scoff, Tim turned around and started walking back towards the bed. Hoping this was enough of a physical sign that the conversation has ended.   
  
Apparently, it wasn't.   
“Stupid little boy.” The man said, and his voice almost sounded like a low growl for a moment. Something was different about him, and only now Tim realized this. “Did it never occurred to you that you might be here for a reason?”  
That got Tim to stop, because this could mean information, and any information was good.   
  
“Even if it did, it’s hard to play along when I don’t know what it is.” He said before turning to look at the other.    
  
“You’re trying to cheat a reason out of me?” The man tilted his head a little to the back, just enough so that he could look down on Tim. “You’re not going the get one.”   
  
“Then I’ll keep trying to get out of here.” Tim retorted.   
  
“We don’t want to hurt you, Timothy.” his captor spoke slowly. “But you are going to stay here for as long as we will see fit. Only then we will let you go.”   
Maybe this should have been comforting, knowing that they always meant to let him go in the end. But their “when” could also be a year from now, or five, or ten. He didn’t have that much time to give.   
  
“It’s not good enough.” Tim shook his head.   
“We’re trying very hard to keep you alive and well, Timothy, don’t play with me.” the man said, and then he was gone. As always, the conversation ended only when he decided it was right. And once again, Tim got nothing practical out of that.  
With nothing better to do, and no desire to overthink himself, for once, he pulled his communication device and massaged Conner, hoping the boy was still there.    
  


\----  

 

They texted each other for three hours.   
Conner didn’t remember talking to anyone for three hours straight. Well, there were the people from work, but he didn’t really think that counts. Those weren’t conversations he chose having, nonetheless ones he stayed awake at night for. He only went to sleep when he had to. Dick promised to be there early in the morning, so Conner had no choice but to be awake when he arrived.   
  
The morning seemed to come faster than he expected, probably because he only slept for four hours. Still, the sun was unforgiving, and Conner had to pull himself out of his bed and drag his feet to the kitchen. He barely managed to finish a cup of coffee before he heard a knock on the door.   
Well, here it is, his time to say goodbye to Tim Drake. It almost surprised him, how it made him feel slightly bitter.    
  


Dick was all smiles and sunshine even this early in the morning. If he had any troubles sleeping, it didn’t show.   
“Hope you had a good night’s sleep.” He said as he marched into the apartment with light steps.  
  
“As good as I can, I guess.” Conner shrugged, rubbing the back of his head in an embarrassment he was admittedly starting to get used to.  
  
“Good.” Dick nodded, and stopped at the center of his small entrance, the smile on his face seemed apologetic, as if he was already performing damage control for something that Conner wasn’t aware of. “We need to talk.”   
A confused, questioning squint from Conner got him to continue.   
“You see,” He explained. “Bruce he… wants to meet you himself. Just to make sure nothing is suspicious.”  
  
“Bruce?” Conner almost choked. “As is, Bruce Wayne? Want to meet… me?”  
  
“Well, it’s hard to blame him. This is a big matter for us, for him.” Dick sent out a hand to touch Conner’s arm soothingly. “It’s just for today. A small conversation to see there’s nothing strange with all of this. I’ll be there with you, vouch for you. So nothing will happen”   
  
“I… I guess that’ll help.” Conner gulped loudly. “I mean- do I really have a choice?”   
  
“Well…” Dick shrugged and offered another encouraging smile. “He might just pop up here if you say no.”   
  
“Yeah, I figured.” Conner sighed, and turned around to get back into his bedroom. “Let me just… put my nice t-shirt on or… something.”    
How the hell did all of this happen to him? First the text, then Dick showing at his apartment. And now he’s going on his first trip to Gotham? And to meet Bruce Wayne, Bruce freakin’ Wayne. Some people lived their entire life only wishing they’d see him. He almost felt guilty for every time he wished for more in his life. Because there, he finally has more, and this more is kidnapping and conspiracy theories and rich power families and all of it made his stomach rumble.   
  
This is the what he gets for not being satisfied with his perfectly normal life.   
  
He took a deep breath, held it for as long as he could and then released it slowly. Then, he did the same thing again. Better calm himself down. Panicking like that won’t help anyone. Not him, and not Tim either.   
It wasn’t like him. To be so stressed about everything. Usually he’s laugh at himself. But this… all of this felt weird. Something wasn’t alright, but he couldn’t tell what exactly.   
  
With slow movements, painfully aware of the fact he was stalling for time, Conner moved to his small closet and pulled out a clean shirt and a pair of jeans. He got dressed, and then moved to the bathroom to wash his face. When he came out, Dick was waiting, leaning against the wall near the door.   
  
“You got ready quickly.” He said cheerfully and pulled himself away from the wall. “That’s great. Let’s go then? I’ll stop to buy some donuts on our way, or do you prefer sandwiches for breakfast?”  
  
“I’m... fine either way.” Conner shrugged again. He picked up his keys from the table before moving towards the door, and then followed Dick out of the building and towards a car the parked not too far away.   


 

\--

 

As the Wayne Manor appeared in the distance, Conner knew he will probably never see a place as huge and as fancy as this. It could’ve been a palace. Could’ve house his entire building, and probably the building next to it as well. And it was crazy, especially for him, the boy who didn't remember much other than his small block in Metropolis.  
  
Dick must've noticed his awe, because he smiled, tilting his head a little to the side as he spoke.  
“Impressive isn't it?”  
  
“Yeah, you could say that again.” Conner nodded slightly.   
  
Dick let out a short, sweet laugh. “I remember my first time seeing it. Crazy. Took me months before I stopped getting lost.”  
  
Conner wasn’t sure what to say, so he gave up on answering entirely. A few short moments later Dick pulled the car into a parking, and Conner shoved the crumpled sandwich bag to the side before walking out. He looked up, examining the manor again, this time up close. It looked even bigger from here, but now something felt different. He couldn’t really explain it. A weird feeling of deja vu? It almost felt like he was here before- which obviously couldn’t have been true.   
  
“Are you ready?” His thoughts were cut short when Dick touched his shoulder gently, encouraging him to move forward. Conne let out an unsure smile before he started following Dick towards the huge front doors. Inside, was a huge welcoming area, with stairs leading up to different areas. And near the doors, an old man in a suit was waiting.  
  
“Welcome, master Dick.” the man said with a thick British accent. “And welcome-”  
  
“Conner.” He quickly cut him off, if only because he wasn’t sure how to act. Luckily for him, Dick marched forward, a large, warm smile on his face.  
“Alfie!” He called, and the butler offered a small grin of his own back to him. “It’s been a while. How are you?”   
  
“I’m fine, nothing more than the usual.” The butler shook his head slowly. “Master Bruce has been expecting you. He’s waiting in the library.”  
  
“We’ll go there right away.” Dick agreed. Then he looked back at Conner and signaled him to follow.   
  
“I’ll be there soon.” The man called after them. “With tea, and maybe some cookies.”   
  
“Thanks Alfie, you’re the best.” Dick called. “His cookies are great, you have to try them.”   
  
“Oh, well…” Conner shrugged. He could tell he was still visibly flustered. This was all so much, they even had a butler? What normal people actually had a butler? “You seem very insistent on feeding me today.”   
  
Dick laughed. “It’s the least I can do, isn’t it?”      
  
By the time they got to the library, Conner could already guess more or less what to expect. And of course, the library looked like it came out of a movie just as much as the rest of the house. It was big, and was filled with book. Definitely more books than Conner had ever read. He wondered if someone has time to even read all of these book, or if most of them were just collecting dust. Probably the latter. It room was filled with the deep smell of pages, along with the slight warmness coming from the wooden shelves that held them. The floor was covered in thick, rich carpets. On one of the walls a large marble fireplace was currently off, and two large sofas were placed in front of him, along with a reading chair.  
  
And inside he waited, Bruce Wayne. Conner recognized him from the photos he saw online. But if he had to be honest with himself, He was a bit shorter than Conner had imagined. Not short by any means, he was still fairly tall, and very well built. Just… a little bit shorter. Like he was an actual human being, maybe, and not just some crazy rich figure he could only hear of from a distance.   
He was standing near the large windows, and turned around to examine them when they got in. Then he moved, and Conner realized the gracefulness was a Grayson exclusive. Bruce Wayne moved with elegance and force, but there was no grace to it. He seemed more heavy, more calculated. Maybe that made sense.   
“Bruce Wayne, nice to meet you.” He said as he got closer, and let out his hand to shake Conner’s. The young man took it after a mall moment of hesitation.   
  
“I’m Conner.”  
  
“Conner..?” Bruce’s blue eyes examined him thoroughly, and Conner realized that he was waiting for a last name.   
  
“Just Conner.” He let go if Wayne’s hand and shrugged. “Never really knew my family so… I don’t know, I just don’t use one if I don’t have to.”    
  
“I see.” Bruce answered, and no matter how much he tried, Conner couldn’t realize if he took it in a good way of a bad one.  “I appreciate you coming here, Conner, this is a very important matter.”   
  
“I- I know that, sir.” Conner fumbled a little, still flustered from the presence in front of him. “But I already told Dick everything that happened. I’m not sure what more I can say that’ll help.”   
  
“I know.” Bruce’s face was stern, nothing of the calming kindness and openness that Dick offered him yesterday. “But I want to know more about you. Where did you come from? Why did my son contacted you, of all people?”  
  
Ah. So that’s why he wanted him here, he suspected him. Conner’s eyes opened wide with surprise. For a long minute, he wasn’t sure how to react to that. “I- um- Wayne, sir.” He mumbled, turning his gaze down towards his own shoes. “I don’t know what you’re thinking exactly, but I know even less than you do, and I have nothing to do with any of this.”   
  
“That’s not what I has trying to imply.”Maybe he imagined it, but for a moment Bruce’s voice sounded just a tad bit softer. “But you have to understand, you are the only lead I have towards finding my son.”   
  
Then it hit him. Bruce Wayne was sad. He hid it very well. So well that Conner might’ve missed it, but it was there, underneath the surface. And Conner couldn’t blame him, really, even if he was still awed and a little bit scared. He lost someone dear to him, or at least believe he did up until yesterday, and now he might’ve had a chance to get him back. This must have been hard on him.   
  
“I’ll do what I can, sir.” Conner nodded. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to Bruce. “Here. You can talk to him yourself first.”  
  
“Thank you, Conner.” Dick spoke as Bruce took the phone from his hand. Dick smiled at him, as if he was saying _‘you’re doing great.’_ “You helped us a lot.”   
  
Bruce moved away from them, choosing to end the conversation for now, now that there were obviously more urgent things from him to do. Conner barely noticed the door to the library opening, as the butler came in with the tea and cookies he promised. He let Dick pull him towards the sofas and shove a cup in his hand. Probably trying to distract him from the man standing back where he started, near the window, with a sealed expression on his face.   
  
And after a moment that seemed to last too short, Bruce Wayne talked again.  
“He’s not answering.”      
  
  


\----   
  
  


His solution came to him in the form of a truly idiotic idea. Tim sighed. Slowly but surely he was digging his way deeper into stupidity, making decisions that only a desperate and highly motivated man would make. This was absolutely one of those decisions, and one more time he scolded himself for how stupid it was. To no avail, might he add, since he was already set on doing it.   
  
But well, his captor did say they were trying to keep him alive. And Tim assumed that included him not killing himself. Insane, but it might work. There was no ventilation opening in his room, so if the room will be unbreathable… the door just might open… right?  
  
Well, either that or he chokes to death.  
  
It was insane. He knew that. But he had to try something. He needed more information, more clues, anything to give the others so that they could find him. And he couldn’t get any of it if he was stuck in his cell. So he started working on it right away. It wasn't hard, since there wasn’t any visible ventilation system, he assumed the air cleaned itself in some magical way or another. But magic took time and effort, so he assumed he could cheat that system. After Conner went to sleep, he went to work. A few hours passed before he managed to use the leftovers of technology he had to spray some chemicals into the room.. It took a few minutes to realise he succeeded, and then his head started to hurt.  
  
Tim took a deep breath, and it burned. He dragged his feet and sat down against the invisible wall. Another breath, another burn. He kept the air in his lungs as long as he could. His eyes felt heavy, so he let them close and took a third breath.   
  
Maybe he was an idiot. Maybe this is how it ends. His chest was screaming, aching. His body felt heavy. Soon enough he'll lose conscious, and then who knows. Maybe his captors will dump his body back in Gotham and his grave won’t be empty, at least. One more breath, if he could just hold it, grasp onto the oxygen for just a little longer.  
  
And then, with a barely audible “tss” sound, he could feel his chest being filled with clean air, so quickly it almost burned just as much. Less than a second after that, his back hit the floor.   
  
Oh.   
  
That actually worked, huh?   
  
Still surprised, Tim pulled himself up on his feet and looked around. Outside his cell seemed like a completely different world. The well lit, bright room made it’s way to a dark, long corridor with a low ceiling. He wondered how he never noticed it before. Probably, some sort of an optical illusion. As he started walking, he noticed other doors, but he couldn’t see inside, and after failing to open the first one, he gave up on trying. He didn’t have much time, after all. Sooner or later they will find out the bird was out of it’s nest. When they come looking, he better not be stuck in a long corridor with nowhere to hide.  
  
At the end the road opened into a spiraling staircase, after a short debate with himself, Tim chose to go up rather than down. It made more sense for a prison to be in the basement, so his chances seemed better if he climbed. Tim could hear his own steps echoing against the floor. It all seemed too loud, every step ringing in his ears. Soon enough he’ll be caught. There’s no way he wasn’t heard by now.   
  
The sound of voices speaking caught his attention, and Tim decided to investigate. He turned into a new corridor, following the voices. The closer he got, the more it sounded less like a conversation and more like a passionate debate, or maybe an argument. He could recognize the voice of his captor. When he got a little closer, it started to feel like all of them sounded like his captor. Which by now, was just another weird detail he had no explanation for.   
When he got close enough to hear words, he had to stop.   
  
“-And yet still, someone gave young Drake a link to the outside. Against what we agreed on”  
  
Tim could feel his body tense. He moved as quietly as he could to lean against the wall, breath shallow as he leaned closer in order to hear more.   
  
“You saw him, we were in danger of losing the boy. Whoever did so had done right.” A voice he barely recognized as different spoke.   
  
“Still, acting without consulting and voting first. Why do we even have this council for?”   
  
“You all know bringing him back too soon might end in a catastrophe.” A third voice, probably. “There’s too many possibilities we haven’t discussed.”  
  
“There are _endless_ possibilities. Someday we will have to decide.”  
  
“Gentlemen, please.” A new voice, louder and calmer than the other, spoke. Probably an overseer of the debate. “Calm down. I do believe we have an eavesdropper.”        
Shit. If he was tense before, now Tim could feel every muscle of his freezing. He had to order himself not to panic and think. He could try and run, but he didn’t know the place, so surely they will catch onto him quickly. Before he had any chance to find any other solution, the voice continued.   
  
“Will one of you go and bring young Timothy Drake in.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It suddenly crossed my mind I need to say it- so no, unlike Rebirth I'm not throwing Watchman into the mix.


	4. Chapter 4

Tim had seen a lot of bizarre things in his life. He saw aliens flying through the sky, magicians casting reality altering spells, people living under the ocean, demons walking on earth. He had seen so many weird things, sometime the fact he could still be genuinely surprised caught him off guard.   
Now was one of these moments. He couldn't help but feel surprised as he walked into a large room,filled with people standing on both ends, leaning their hands against wooden podiums. They all wore the same grey and white outfits that his captor wore- and they all looked exactly the same. All had that unmemorable, unremarkable face that was almost like staring at dozens of blank heads. That did explained why they all sounded the same, and it explained why his captor acted a little differently yesterday. This was about all that was explained by this revelation- which was nothing compared to the amount of questions it brought up.   
  
Who were they? What were they? Tim guessed they weren’t humans. This level of resemblance seemed nigh impossible for normal humans. Unless some magic was involved that could explain this, but then, who’s casting it? An eerie feeling was more or less controlling the hall as he walked in, slowly, accompanied by another man, and all eyes went straight to him.   
  
Tim had to take a deep breath, and then another one, and force himself to calm down. The man next to him gestured at him to stop at the center of the hall. Tim straightened his back, and brought his gaze up to the man standing right before him. He assumed this was the overseer, the man who caught him and ordered him in. His placement on a slightly heightened podium seemed to support this theory. Other than his podium, he looked exactly like the others.  
  
“Timothy Jackson Drake Wayne. It’s so kind of you to answer my invitation and join us.” The man’s voice as he spoke was the only noise in the room.   
  
Tim furrowed his brows. “I don't recall being invited.” He forced the words out with an icy tone.   
  
“I did open your cell for you, and you came here. I would call that an invitation.” The man answered, and Tim couldn’t tell if he was just taking credit for Tim’s achievement, or if it was him who was being played. Did it really matter? Both version ended the same way, with him standing here, surrounded.   
  
“Okay, let’s say you invited me.” Tim decided to agree. Wasting his time and effort on a meaningless argument just seemed redundant. “Why?”   
Out of all the questions that ran through his head, this popped up as the most important. If he knew the reason, maybe he could steer his way out of here.   
  
“To hear what you have to say, of course. It seems unfair to decide your fate without hearing a word from you. And you don’t seem to cooperate from inside your cell.” The man explained. Tim had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. Ah yes, how kind of them, after a month or so, to decide he might have an opinion on the matter of his own life. Truly considerate they were.    
  
Tim scanned the man’s face, trying to find any hint in it as to what he was thinking. He yielded nothing. Tim rolled his tongue inside his mouth before speaking.   
“Well. I’m here now. What do you want to hear?”   
  
“Who are you, Timothy?”   
  
Somehow, that question took him by surprise.  
“Excuse me? I’m pretty certain you already know who I am.”  
  
“But who are you _really_? Do you know?” The man continued, his face still an unforgiving, unrevealing mask.  
  
“I’m not hiding anything, if this is what you’re implying, you seem to already know pretty much everything about me.” Tim let the heel of his foot tap against the floor a few times. This seemed nonsensical. They knew he was Red Robin, they seemed to know who everyone was. What more could they need from him?  
  
“But do you know who you are?” The man insisted.   
  
This was going nowhere, and Tim could hear the edge to his own voice when he answered.  
“Yes. I-”  
  
“Wrong answer.” The man cut him off. “The thing is, Timothy, you have not a single idea who you really are. You don’t know. You don’t _remember._ ”  
Tim was ready to protest, ready to scoff and say this was all bullshit. But the last word got his voice stuck in his throat. It hit a chord, somewhere, deep inside of him, that he didn’t know existed. And for a moment he furrowed his eyebrows and thought. What was it that he forgot? What did he need to remember?   
  
After a moment of silence, the man continued with a question. “Do you remember Wally West. The second Flash?”  
  
“Yes.” Tim nodded, all the edge his voice had earlier disappeared and made it's way to gentle confusion. “Of course.”  
  
“But not too long ago, you didn't.”  
  
That was true, the first thing that they could fully agree on. Until not too long ago, everyone had forgotten that the second Flash ever existed. It wasn’t that he died, more like he was never really there. Even the people who were closest to him, even Dick, his best friend, did not know who he was. And then one day, Wally West reappeared out of the speed force. He broke his way back into reality, and all of a sudden it was like he was always here, never gone. Memories came back, blank spaces were filled. And for a moment, the world was different. Wally brought with him conversations about how their world and their past were snatched underneath their feet. He brought questions about what they did not know, about what no one could even tell they didn't know. If they could forget a person, someone who was such an integral part of their world, what more was out there? What else disappeared?  
And people disappeared, Wally made sure they all knew it for a fact. Sometime, in the past, the world was different. But the second Flash spent so much time in the speed force, he couldn’t really come back with full details of the changes, only the vague, empty feeling of something that was lost. Maybe forever.  
   
These were all questions with no answers, thoughts that did not hold any water,  and Tim never had the time to try and think about them again. He went back to living his life like he thought he always did: helping Batman, saving Gotham. Never wondering what he had lost.   
  
Until now.   
  
Tim knitted his eyebrows closer together as he finally spoke.   
“So what you’re trying to say is… I forgot parts about myself?”    
  
“Ah, so there is a reason you were known as the smart Robin.” His captor almost seemed to laugh at him.   
  
Tim ignored the comment. “Then what is it that I forgot?”   
  
“We’re not going to tell you.”   
Of course. There they go hitting a wall again. Tim let out a soft sigh and shifted just a little in his place before he tried again.  
  
“So we’re back to point one, why did you bring me here? To remind me? Because you’re doing a pretty bad job at that.”  
  
The man on the high podium gave him a long, stern look before he answered.   
“We brought you here to stop you from searching for what you’ve lost.”   
  
“Well, that seem counterintuitive.” Always the smartass, Tim couldn’t pass on the opportunity to point this one, very big flaw in that plan. “If you didn’t bring me here, I would have never known. You created your own problem.”   
He could hear some rattle in the crowd, but nothing was loud enough for his ears to pick up actual words.  
  
“You may think so, Timothy.” The man nodded. “But you don’t need to know. Sooner or later the holes in your past would have drawn you to search for the forgotten parts. Or maybe the things you’ve lost would gravitate towards you and find you. And when that happen, the world will change once again.”  
  
“And you don't want it to change.” Tim finished the sentence for the man. That seemed like the obvious conclusion. At least it gave him some sort of an idea why he was there. “Why is that? Does the change not fit your agenda?”  
  
“Our only concern is to keep the universe safe.” the man seemed unmoved by the sarcastic tone of Tim's last remark. “If we decide that change is the better option, we’ll act accordingly.”  
  
“Don’t I deserve a say?” Tim closed his hands tight, fingernails pressing against the skin of his palm. “This is my life you’re talking about. And it may be other people's as well as mine. And you're stopping it because… what, you're scared of change? It's not only your decision, I'm entitled to that choice.”  
  
“I’ve heard enough.” from the podium, his captor’s commending voice put an end to both Tim’s speech and the crowd's chatter. “Now, please wait outside the door while we debate further.”  
  
Before Tim had a chance to protest, another man was next to him. So he nodded, and then walked out swiftly. Once there, he leaned close to the door and tried to listen to what the people inside were saying, but this time no words carried out. They argued, passionately even, but that was about all he managed to decipher.  
Tim sighed, closed his eyes, and tried to think. He was taking part in some messed up trial, with his life on the line. And his judge and jury already decided they knew better than anyone else. Tim could try and talk his way out of it. He was usually a pretty decent talker. But his captors seemed to believe there was some sort of ‘greater good’ element to their actions, without any ulterior motives he could use.  
  
“Tsk-” He hissed. It was all still hard to believe. A part of him had to acknowledge the fact that right now, things seemed more bizarre than before. Uncovering this mystery just gave him a headache.   
  
The sounds of footsteps made Tim open his eyes and straighten himself up with a slight fidget. The man that approached him looked just like all the others, and Tim just assumed he’s there to escort him back inside. Instead, the man placed one hand on his shoulder.  
“Follow me. And be quiet.” His voice was silent and careful as he spoke.   
  
Okay, so something was definitely different about him, he seemed a little anxious, and in a hurry. That eliminated to possibility of him just following orders.   
  
“Where to?” Tim wondered.   
  
“Out of here. Now move.” The man didn’t wait before he started walking, and as much as he just wanted to believe him, Tim knew it would be stupid to just follow blindly.  
  
“Why should I trust you?” He questioned, causing the man to stop.   
  
“I’m the one who caused your communication device to work. Is that not enough?”   
  
Tim narrowed his eyes. “You all look the same, and I didn't even see the guy who did this for me. you can’t prove it.”   
  
“Then that just means you’ll have to trust me.” The man turned around and started walking. Annoyingly enough, he was right. If the choice was between waiting here or trying something, Tim would have to take a chance on the latter. So he did the stupid thing. He started following the other, trying to look around him as they walked. That place was unfamiliar, he could try and track his steps back if something happened if he memorized it enough, but it was just as unrecognizable as the people who lived in it.   
  
“Why are you helping me?” He couldn’t help but ask.  
  
“Because I believe the world would be better off changing. I believe that bringing back what was lost would help the universe, at the end.” The man explained. So he was a minority. That made sense.   
“You were wrong, Timothy.” The man continued. “It’s not that we, as a group, don’t want change. Some of us do, some of us don’t and some of us are more passionate than others. But we strive to settle our differences and act as a group.”    
  
“So why are you acting by yourself?”   
This was the first time someone actually gave him information, and Tim didn’t mean to give up so soon.   
  
“Because I think we made the wrong decision when we acted in the first place.” The man explained. “Our job is to watch and monitor the universe, not to meddle with it. Bringing you here was an unfortunate mistake”   
  
That seemed to light a spark of familiarity inside of Tim. Almost like he heard something like this in the past, knew of it.  Before he had the opportunity to delve into that, the man stopped in his tracks. “This will be good enough.”   
He turned around and placed both hands on Tim’s shoulders. “I can not keep you safe for long. It is very likely someone with a different opinion than mine will come after you. Sooner rather than later”   
  
“That’s reassuring.” Tim muttered. Was there even a point asking if he can stop them from ‘killing’ him again?   
  
“If you’ll set the change in motion, they’ll have no reason to bring you back here. We can’t undo things, just keep them from happening.” The man explain.   
  
Tim furrowed his brows for the who knows how many times that day. “How am I supposed to do that? I don’t even know where to start.”   
  
“Think, Timothy.” The man’s voice was soft. “Out of every single person in the world, I connected you to just one. There’s a reason for this. You’re clever, you’ll figure this out.”  
That was a start. That was the only lead he had. It also made sense a lot more than Conner just being a random boy. Tim nodded.   
“I’ll look into it.” He promised. “Thank you.”   
  
“Good luck.” The man offered a glimpse of a smile. “Now, you might feel dizzy…”   
  


 

\--

  
Tim woke up to a gust of air on his face. His head was pounding and his ears were ringing loud, but nothing else hurt. This was probably a good sign. He was lying on a hard surface, so not the bed, maybe the floor. Something was weird.   
  
Something…   
  
A breeze. On his face.   
  
Tim opened his eyes and saw the sky. It was a fairly cloud free day, and the light indicated it was late in the afternoon. The sky were blueish grey, and the soft, warm cool of the evening started to creep up from the horizon. He had to mentally take a few steps back and remind to himself that _he could see the sky_. A part of him almost wondered if he remembered how the sky looked. But here they were, right above him, peaking between two old buildings. It was nothing special, a normal person wouldn’t even look up twice on a day like this. But to Tim’s eyes, eyes that were so used to see a blank, white ceiling, this was so beautiful it almost stung.   
  
Shortly after he realized he was lying on the ground inside a small alleyway. That explained the harsh surface, and also the smell. The typical tint of garbage, sewage and dust that was an inseparable part of the lesser Gotham alleys. Right now, even this seemed wonderful to him. Just for a moment, he was conscious enough to laugh at himself for how pathetic he probably was. How dumb he is for reacting so much to such little things.  
It didn’t matter, his body didn’t get the memo, didn’t realized he was supposed to act cool. Tim could feel himself shaking, almost uncontrollably.    
  
He was alive, he was back.   
  
Well, maybe. It could be an illusion, he could be dreaming. There was always the possibility that the man that released him never really existed. Maybe soon enough he’ll wake up in his cell, or outside the hall. And he really shouldn’t get his hopes up, usually that only led to his heart breaking.   
  
Tim sat up and looked at himself. Still in the Red Robin outfit, what’s left of it anyway. No mask, no cape, and basically no gear. He could remove the rest of the recognizable parts and make his way out. Find a phone, call Bruce, call home. Tell them he’s here.  
  
It was hard not getting his hopes up when he imagined hearing the voices of his family.   
  
He decided on walking. Even without a grappling hook, Tim could make his way through the city without being noticed. Surely, between the time it will take him to get to the Manor and the cool wind of the evening, he’ll get to clear his mind. There was a lot to think about, many things he had to sort through. He wasn’t even sure how he should feel.   
It would take him about an hour to get back, maybe ninety minutes. That time will only do him well, he didn’t want to be a heaping, shaking mess when he finally sees the others. walking it is then.   
  
Tim stood up and made his way towards the roof. From there, he could see more of the city. It almost seemed calm, clean. He allowed himself to imagine this is how it actually was. Without all the usual misery that was probably lurking in the streets. Just for today, let it be quiet. He took another deep breath and started moving.  Tim could feel the clumsiness that came with a long break from practice. His body moved just a tad slower. Maybe he should’ve called. The others must be worried. When did he send his last message to Conner? Probably enough time had passed  for them to realize he wasn’t answering, to think that something happened.   
  
Let them worry.   
Maybe it was selfish. But he had the right to be a little selfish. Up until not too long ago, he was the only one concerned for Tim Drake. He deserved a little panic from his family.   
  
By the time he got to the edge of the city, street lights started turning on, coloring the roads with bright orange. Tim had to gasp again at the vibrant streets and the darkening skies. From here forward, it was just a long walk between the trees until he got to the Wayne Manor. If he moved now he’ll make it there before dinner. Dinner would be nice. No matter what Alfred made, it was always delicious.   
  
Then why didn’t he move?  
  
Tim sighed heavily. Because you’re scared. Obviously. Scared of what? That it’s not real? Or worse, that it is real, but it wouldn’t feel as good as he thought it should. Wouldn’t feel right. He ran so many reunion scenarios in his mind while he was captured, and now it was here, almost in his grasp. And he was afraid. Things are not going to be perfect. There’s going to be questions, and explaining, and then more questions.   
Even more so, none of his imaginary reunions had this fleeting feeling of doubt. This sudden, new awareness that something was taken from him. Something that was bigger than just some time in captivity. Knowing this shouldn’t have changed so much, but it did. Everything seemed different, and right now he wasn’t sure it was for the better.  
  
He had no choice but believing it would be okay. All he needed was to see his family again, and that would make everything feel right. At least, that’s what he hoped as he started walking the last bit of distance. Out here it was dark, but he could already see the Manor in the distance. A usually beautiful yet looming place, his home.  Just a few lights on is some windows, and maybe even these were just for show.   
If he waited for too long, someone would notice him. They were all well trained, and easily noticed when there were people in places where people should not have been. Maybe that would be best. He’ll just sit here and wait for someone to come for him. Probably Alfred. The others were getting ready to patrol. Or maybe he’ll wait until morning, and see one of them as they get back.  
  
And maybe, for once, you’d stop questioning everything, and allow yourself to just go.   
He was so close. Just a few more steps. It really wasn’t supposed to take this much effort.  Tim sighed deeply and then reached for the door, he bit down at his lower lip, moving his eyes against the rich, carved wood that was oh so familiar.   
  
  
And then he knocked. 


	5. Chapter 5

Bruce Wayne had a cold, calculating glare that used to be reserved for his Batman persona. throughout the years, the personas bled into each other more and more, and now that look showed up regularly, especially when he was trying to decipher something which required thinking. That same look was clear on his face right now, as he sat across the table from Tim and just stared at him. Tim could see the barely visible fidget of his fingers in his crossed arms, the slightest hitch of his jaw as he scanned the the young man in front of him from head to toe.   
  
And he understood. Bruce had the regular reaction he always had when something happened to him that defied all logic. He knew, because as they worked together Tim borrowed a lot of it and made it his own. So the thing is, he got it. He got that Bruce was sitting there trying to decide if Tim was real or not. If Tim really did just come back from the dead and was back in his house, sitting on the sofa with a glass of tea that already got cold.   
  
He understood it, he got it. But boy, did he hate that right now.   
  
Because that was the last thing he needed. To sit there, Bruce glaring at him without even having said one word. This wasn’t what he wanted. Not right now, when even he wasn’t sure what to do with himself.   
  
“Bruce.” He broke the silence for the first time in what felt like forever. “Can we just… Do the detective thing later?”   
  
Bruce just blinked at him a few times before nodding. “Yes, Of course. You must be hungry, and tired. I will get Alfred to get you a fresh cup of tea. After that we can prepare your bedroom and-” He had to stop midway through his sentence. Because Tim already leaped from his place and made his way across the small work table. He was already there, pressing his face against Bruce’s shoulder, hands tugging at the back of his expensive suit.   
Because there it was, Bruce’s voice. It’s the first time he heard it in so long and it was real. It made him realize he was truly here, this was happening.   
  
After a short, surprised pause, Bruce moved one arm to gently pat Tim’s back. “It’s okay son, you’re home.”   
  
“Am I?” Tim muttered, voice barely audible, but definitely noticeable enough for the other. Bruce shifted and placed his hands on Tim’s shoulders, his blue eyes examined Tim’s face with great seriousness as he spoke, every word carefully separated from the other.   
  
“Yes. Yes you are.”   
  
Before they had the chance to say anything else, the door opened.   
  
“Tim!”    
Dick got there in a hurry. Tim could tell, because he still had his Nightwing suit on, and he came in with hair messy from the wind and a flushed face. He probably ended patrol early the moment he heard the news, and rushed back to the Manor as fast as he could. Even as he made his way into the room, Dick skipped so fast he almost missed a few steps on the way.  He crashed on the small sofa, forcing his way between Tim and Bruce and wrapping his arms around his little brother. If Bruce waited as much as he could to accept Tim being there, Dick didn’t wait at all.  
  
And he made sure it was known, how accepting he was, in usual Dick fashion. His embrace was warm and welcoming and tight. He placed most of his weight against the other, his smile resting close to Tim’s ear.   
“Timmy. It’s really you.” He said softly, an airiness to his voice. “I’m so glad to see you.”   
  
“It’s… it’s good to see you too.” Tim mumbled, voice just a little rigid. Enough so as to make Bruce clear his throat and speak.   
  
“Maybe you should give Tim a bit of breathing space.” He suggested.   
  
“There’s enough time for that later.” Dick turned his eyes to Bruce, but didn’t comply in any other way. It was such a weirdly familial moment with how they were all sitting so close. Dick was hugging him, refusing to let go, as if Tim might disappear again the moment he did. If he didn’t put his mind into it, Tim could almost imagine it being a normal family reunion, in a family much different than theirs.   
  
“Perhaps, master Dick, you should listen to  master Bruce this time.” Alfred’s voice came sharp from the door. “I made sandwiches and tea, and I’m sure sitting like this would make it much harder to dine.” That seemed to do the trick, Dick moved his arms and shifted so he could sit next to Tim, trapping the younger boy between him and Bruce.   
  
As Alfred came closer and started placing the food on the table, Tim couldn’t help but notice he made sure to prepare one of Tim’s favorites sandwiches. The tea brand he chose to bring was also one that Tim particularly liked.   
The realization dawned on him slowly but surely. They were all doing the best they could to make it feel perfect. Alfred and Dick made sure to cover him with warmth. He could still feel Bruce sneaking some concerned looks at him from the corners of his eyes, but he was trying his best as well. Any other day and he would already get up and leave, down to the cave and out from there towards a night as the Bat.   
  
Not today though, today they were all there, especially for him, going out of their way to make everything feel right.    
  
Then why the hell did it not?   
  
Tim fumbled his way out of his place on the couch and up to his feet.    
“Sorry I'll… be right back.” he shrugged, giving one quick look at the others before he headed towards the hallway. He tried to walk calmly, but even to him it felt like he was rushing to get out. His steps were just a little too quick, a bit too sharp.  
  
Not even a minute had passed before Dick was out after him. He trailed just a few steps back. And even though Tim couldn’t see it, he could guess what his expression might look like right now. Careful but curious. He wanted to know what the hell was wrong and more importantly, how he could make it all better.  
“Dick can we wait a little with the heart to heart?” He said without stopping or turning around. “I just… need some space, okay?”   
  
“I know.” Dick didn’t sound too surprised, just a little somber. “But I thought you’d like to know your new friend is here.”   
  
“What?” Tim arched his brows in confusion and stopped in his tracks. He could guess what Dick meant, but still he just wanted another confirmation.  
  
“That Conner boy.” Dick gave him the answer he searched for immediately. “Bruce wanted him under his eye until things clear up. I can’t really take you to him right now, for obvious reasons. But he’s in a guest room on the left wing second floor, if you want to go there yourself.”   
  
“I’ll go there.” Tim nodded, and already started walking.   
  
“So fast. You sure he’s just a stranger?” Dick wondered. His way of asking why Tim would rather go to a random person instead of sitting with them. Without actually saying it and risking a fight. It was pettiness talking, Tim thought. Dick was offended, and this it how he let it out.  
  
Tim wasn’t sure how to answer that, so he settled for, “I just think he deserves to know I’m alive.” Which didn’t actually answered anything at all, but it seemed to be enough for now.   
  
“Okay.” Dick said softly. “I’ll wait for you when you’ll want to talk.”   
The second set of footsteps stopped, and Tim knew he was free to go on his own.    

  
  


\----

 

This entire situation has escalated way too quickly for his own liking. First it was just a phone call, then a visit, then a trip, and now he’s sort of a guest but also sort of a prisoner in a stranger’s house. Conner couldn't help but wonder how one thing led to another. He should've just said no when they brought him to a room and asked him to wait. But he didn’t, so now he was here. It's not like it was uncomfortable, hell, this one room was probably bigger than his entire apartment. In any other situation this would have been like a great vacation. Now it was just weird. He couldn't help but feel they were hiding things from him, a lot of things.   
  
He almost missed the knock on the door. Finally, someone came over to tell him what's happening. Or maybe it was their butler with food and drinks. Who knew?   
Conner pulled himself up and walked idly towards the door. Once he opened it, his lips parted in surprise and he had to do a double take.   
  
Because he was pretty sure that in front of him was Tim Drake.   
  
He recognized him from his image search. He was slightly thinner now, his hair was a bit longer, and he looked considerably more tired. But it was him, there was no doubt about it.   
  
“Can I come in?” Tim asked, half of a smile on his face.   
  
“A- uh... sure.” Conner almost felt like an idiot, he rubbed the back on his head, and moved to the side so he could let the other in. “I mean...it's your house.”  
  
“Oh, thank you for reminding me. I got confused for a moment there” Tim nodded. Probably, the expression Conner had on his face showed just how dumbfounded he was, because Tim cocked an eyebrow up and added. “It’s a joke.”  
  
“Oh, yeah.” Conned fumbled a little. “Um, weren’t you kidnapped?”  
  
“I managed to escape.” Tim answered in a way that made it clear he doesn't want to talk about it. He made his way into the room without any pretence, and chose a small couch not too far away from the window.  
  
Conner examined him as he moved. He decided pretty quickly that the third Wayne he met in person was very unlike the other two. If Bruce was Impressive yet intimidating, and Dick was inviting, but still somewhat ethereal. Tim Drake was… earthly. Not that he didn’t have an air to him, but he felt closer. He felt like he existed in the same plane as Conner himself. Not necessarily inviting, but approachable enough for Conner not to feel out of place in front of him. He decided that he liked the third Wayne more than he did the prior two.   
  
“That’s good.” Conner mumbled once he realized he was staring. He closed the door, and hurried himself onto a seat near the other. “Looks like you didn’t need my help after all.”   
  
“You have no idea.” Tim murmured quietly. Tim examined him through bright eyes for a long moment before he continued.   
“You know, you’re different that I imagined.”   
  
“Worse?” Conner suggested with an apologetic smile. It’s not that he didn’t have any self confidence, he had at least as much as the next guy. But Tim was the third in the line of really good looking Wayne's he had met. They did made him feel even more mundane than he already did. Tim furrowed his brows creating small crest in his face as he shook his head.  
  
“Not at all. Just… different.”   
  
“Better?” Conner couldn’t help the teasing smile stretching his lips, a gesture that seemed to genuinely catch the other off guard. It probably wasn’t that, but why not, he can allow himself to try.  
  
After a moment wherein Tim seemed to heavily consider this, he nodded. “Yeah, probably better.”   
Then came Conner’s turn at being surprised. But Tim didn’t let the moment sink and continued speaking. “Are you hungry? I’m hungry. We can sneak down to the kitchen and grab something.”   
  
Conner considered asking about the butler, but the feeling that Tim was trying to avoid familiar faces rather than seeking them caused him to just nod. “We can do that.”     
  
He’d be lying if he said he didn’t try to imagine what meeting Tim in real life would be like. This, however, was nothing like what he imagined. In his thoughts it was either a big, movie like heroic meeting, or an incredibly awkward situation where no one knows what to say and both of them just want to go home. This was none of that. They just… walked quietly down towards the kitchen. He watched Tim, and Tim looked at the house, almost as if the other was checking to see if everything was still there. And god knows why, it felt comfortable. Something about Tim was familiar, as if he’d seen it somewhere before.   
  
“So, um… your house is pretty cool.” He said after a moment.   
  
“You think?” Tim turned his head to look at him. “I guess it is. Did you even get to walk around?”   
  
“I got to see a pool.” Conner pointed out. “I’ve never seen a house with a pool before.”  
  
“We barely use the pool.” Tim smiled. “For training, maybe. Almost never for fun though.”   
  
“Then you are definitely doing  _ something _ wrong.” Conner let out a short laugh.  
  
“More than a few things, actually.” Tim shrugged. One more time he made Conner wonder if he should say something, one more time he made a moment feel way more personal than it should’ve. And one more time, he didn’t even let this feeling fully sink before he continued. “There we go, welcome to the kitchen.”   
  
“Unsurprisingly, it’s very big.” Conner mumbled as he went in, he was starting to get used to that concept. Tim picked out some leftovers from the large fridge and started heating them. He them picked up some other stuff from the drawers, and finally pulled out two mugs and started making coffee.   
  
“Coffee?” Conner questioned. “It’s the middle of the night. Don’t drink caffeine now.”   
  
“Oh…” Tim shrugged once more. “It’s fine, I’m used to it.”   
  
“Doesn’t mean it’s good for you.” Conner reached for the counter and snatched the mug out of the other’s reach before he’ll have the chance to catch it. He had to ignore the death glare Tim gave him as he poured the coffee grind into the trash. “Where do you keep chocolate around here- because I bet you guys have a full closet filled with exotic and expensive chocolates. I’ll make hot cocoa. It’s way more fitting at this hour.”   
  
“You just threw away my coffee.” Tim was still staring at him, shocked. “You know, I just got back from being kidnapped. I’ve had some pretty stressful last few days. I think I deserve my coffee.”   
  
“Or…” Conner offered a smile. “You let me make you cocoa just this once, and then we’ll eat and then you can go to sleep, because I bet you’re tired.” For a long moment they kept exchanging glares with encouraging nods. At the end Tim sighed and fell back onto a chair.   
  
“Fine. you win.” He shook his head and pointed towards a closet to his right. “Search over there.”  
Conner allowed himself a victorious smile as we marched towards the cabinet. It took a bit of searching, but he found what he needed at the end. A few minutes later, he placed a mug filled with hot burning chocolate, covered with a thin layer of cream.    
  
“Looks good?” he tilted his head slightly as he set down with a mug of his own.   
  
“Looks good.” Tim nodded. He picked up the mug and took a sip. Immediately, his eyes shot up to look at Conner, surprise visible. “This is really good. What did you put in it?”   
  
“It’s a secret.” His victory was ultimate, and Conner’s grin stretched even wider. “Maybe I’ll tell you next time.”   
  
“It’s a deal.” Tim agreed. “And I’ll remember that.”   
  
The food they ate was just an assortment of random things left inside the fridge. It was still good food. Conner was okay with cooking things for himself- and by okay he means he can make do with the basics- but he was pretty far from a British butler level. No one came to bother them as they set there, even though Conner guessed they wanted to. This probably meant something wasn’t quite alright there, but it wasn’t his place to ask about it. It might have felt like they’ve known each other longer, but they just met. He thought Tim seemed comfortable, and distracted enough from all the bad things he probably had to deal with, so that was enough for him.  
  
“Do you want me to walk you to your room?” He offered after they finished eating. Tim just gave him a look that was between daring and amused.   
  
“Are you sure you won’t get lost on the way back to your room after that?”   
  
“Oh- um… you’re right.” Conner fumbled a little bit, shrugging so hard his shoulders almost touched his cheeks. Tim laughed softly.   
  
“Then, I’ll walk you to your room then.” He didn’t even wait before he started walking. He stopped near the door to the guest room Conner stayed in, and pointed to the door placed right in front of it on the other side of the corridor. “I’ll be sleeping right there. So if you need anything, feel free to come over and ask.”  
  
Tim was obviously avoiding his own room, and for now, Conner was obviously avoiding mentioning it. “Same for you. Good night” He said, smiling at Tim once more before he closed the door. 

  
  


\----

 

Tim woke up to the sound of muffled speaking from outside the room. It took a second for him to connect the dots and realize he was sleeping in a guest room am the manor. This was almost incomprehensible, for a moment, to wake up and not be in his prison cell. He passed his hand through the bed sheets, they were soft, and smelled nice, even though this room was barely ever in use. Then he closed his eyes again, and breathed in deep the smell of old wooden furniture. He felt the warm line of sun breaking through the curtains and falling right on the bed. And then, when he was finally ready, Tim got up and walked towards the door, trying his best not to make any sound as he did so.   
  
As he got closer, he could decipher the voices of Bruce, sometimes Dick, and probably Conner.   
  
“Look, I-I get it. Really.” Conner sounded like he was searching a place to hide in, and Tim guessed it was because Bruce never tried pretending to be nice to him. “But can’t I wait just a little?”   
  
“I already told you, my son needs the rest” Bruce’s voice came, quiet but commanding. “He’ll call you if he want’s you.”   
  
“Can’t we just do it somewhere else? We’ll wake Tim up.” From the way Dick sounded, Tim guessed they were at it for a while now. This is probably what forced Dick to interfere in the first place, the tension had gotten too high and a mediator was needed.   
  
“No. This is not a conversation. I’m not giving you a choic-” Bruce again, but Conner cut him off before he even finished.   
  
“Maybe you should give your son a choice?”  
  
This was going too far. With a swift, sharp movement, Tim opened the door.   
“That’s enough!” He said in what he hoped was a sharp and decisive tone. He passed his gaze on the three of them for a long moment. Conner looked surprised, Dick looked apologetic, and Bruce didn’t show any clear indication on what he felt. That made sense, probably. Tim took one long breath, and then spoke again.   
  
“Conner, can you wait for me downstairs near the entrance doors? I’ll be there in a few minutes.” He wasn’t really asking, and Conner probably knew he shouldn’t argue, because he just nodded, mumbled something that wasn’t completely clear and left. After he disappeared at the edge of the corridor, and was outside of hearing range, Tim turned his eyes back to the other two.   
  
“What the hell?” He demanded, crossing his arms.   
  
Bruce seemed completely unfazed by his harsher tone. “You just got back Tim. You need to rest, to ease back slowly.”  
  
Of course. Tim rolled his eyes. “I think you meant to say ‘I need to psychologically evaluate you to make sure you didn’t went crazy’.” He hoped, almost wholeheartedly, that Bruce will deny it. That he would say he just genuinely wants Tim to rest and be with them because they missed him.   
  
But Bruce just tipped his head and clenched his jaw. “You know I have to do that as well.”   
  
“God fucking-”   
  
Before he had the chance to get angry, Dick eased himself into the conversation. “Timmy, Bruce, please. Can’t we just have this conversation over breakfast. I’m sure it would be much easier.”   
In the silence that was left after this, he could hear Bruce’s barely audible sigh.   
  
“Tim. Please understand. You were dead-”  
  
“No. Actually, I wasn’t dead. Not even for a second.” He cut off Bruce, and then let out a sigh of his own, but his was a heavy, long and drawn out sigh. Tim shook his head, when he spoke again, all the sharpness and anger in his voice disappeared. “You know, I told myself- promised to myself so many times- that it doesn’t matter to me. That it’s not your fault. Hundred of times I told myself that you were all so sure I’m dead and that it’s just logical. But you know what? That’s bullshit Bruce. Because when you were supposed to be dead I risked  _ everything _ , I let everyone think I lost my mind just because there was the slightest possibility that you might actually be alive. And I’m not sorry for that, I’d do that again in a second for you, for any of you. But I think, I  _ believe _ I deserve the same treatment. I deserve for you to at least try and fight for me when it’s the other way around.” He stopped just long enough to bite his lower lip and examine the clear signs of sadness and regret slipping through Bruce’s eyes.   
“But you didn’t. None of you did. And I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t matter to me.”   
  
It was dead silent after he spoke, they all barely dared to breathe, and Tim realized only then how deep his words must’ve cut.   
Good, let them cut. He deserved at least that. He didn’t even realize how much that hurt him until he put it into words right now. But once he did, there was no going back. This hurt, it made him bitter and angry, and he couldn’t just push it back.   
  
“You don’t get to decide how I deal with what happened. I’m going to rest and ease back somewhere else.” Tim said after the silence lingered. “I’ll _ call you _ when I’m ready.”    
  
None of them followed him or tried to stop him as he walked away from there. No one came to bother him when he got to his room and shoved a few clothed into a bag. This wasn’t enough really, he’ll have to call Alfred to ask for more sometime later. But he didn’t want to carry too much right now. Not when he had no clue where he was going. And if he was honest, he didn’t want to be there too long, in his own room. A little bit more in here and he might change his mind.   
  
So he hung the backpack on his shoulders and went out as soon as possible. He was relieved to see Conner still waiting for him near the front doors. It’s been a little more than a few minutes, and part of him was sure Conner will just give up and go. But no, there he was. He noticed the bag, and gave Tim a concerned look.   
“You… didn’t fight with them because of me, did you?”   
  
Tim forced a relaxing smile and shook his head. “Not at all. I just… I don’t know. I need a time out”   
  
“...Okay then.” Thank god, Conner didn’t press that issue. “But um, can you drive? Because it’s not like we can just go out and walk to the nearest bus stop.”   
  
“Oh, true.” Tim had to stop in his tracks. He could get a car out, but that meant going back to pick up keys. Luckily for them, Alfred was close by and came in for a save.   
  
“I can drive you there, if you want.” He offered, showing in the corner of the hall. Tim thought about refusing, but if he had to be honest, none of this was Alfred’s fault. And there was something relaxing in the small, unjudging look that the old man gave him, a look that said _ ‘don’t worry, I won’t tell Bruce’  _ without speaking. So Tim just nodded.   
  
“I… Yes. Thanks Alfred.”   
  
The ride from the manor to Gotham’s central bus station was quiet. Which was good, because it let Tim enough time to clear his head. It was also bad, because it made him realize he had no idea what to do next. “Good luck, master Tim.” Alfred offered with a small nod. “And be safe, if you will.”   
  
“I will.” Tim pressed slightly against Alfred’s shoulder. “I promise.”

And then he was out of the car, and Alfred drove away, leaving him and Conner alone.   
  
“So, where  _ are _ you going?” Conner wondered, pointing around him at a number of bus stops. Tim had to shrug, a somewhat embarrassed expression on his face. It was hard enough thinking about it, but now he had to admit it to another person.   
  
“I have no clue. Somewhere else… I guess. I just need to clear my head a little.”   
  
Conner tilted his head. “That doesn’t sound like a plan at all. Sorry buddy.”   
  
“Not at all.” Tim admitted, the embarrassment he felt pouring into a half smile. “And I’m usually pretty good with planning.”   
Conner laughed, face settling into a grin. “Okay, want to come over to my place? Only until you find something better. The drive will probably take some time so… you know, you can regret it at any moment and get out in a random stop and never see me again.”   
  
“That…” Tim cocked his eyebrows and passed a hand through his long hair. Actually it didn’t sound like a bad idea. It might even be the equivalent of killing two birds with one stone. After all, the guy who helped him escape did say Conner was the key to saving himself. Maybe this was his chance to find out why.   
“Sounds like a plan.” He ended up saying.

 


	6. Chapter 6

Maybe he didn’t really thought it through. It’s not like he regretted inviting Tim to stay at his place until he clears his head, but as they got into the small apartment, he couldn’t help but think this was an obvious downgrade compared to an actual manor.   
  
“Well, it doesn’t have original wood paneling, but here we are.” Conner gestured at the small living room area of his house. It was a studio apartment consisting of this room, an even smaller bedroom with a twin bed, a kitchen and one bathroom. It was alright by any normal standards, but nothing more than that. “You’ll have to make do with sleeping on the couch. Sorry.”   
  
“Ah, it’s fine.” Tim shrugged as he walked in and dropped his backpack on the living room table. “It’s better like that anyway, moving from a cell right back to the manor is a pretty big jump. Feels kind of uncomfortable. It’s too big”     
  
Conner couldn’t help but stare at him. “How can you just say it like that.”   
  
“Like what?” Tim turned around to examine him with a questioning gaze.   
  
“Like it’s nothing.” Conner waved one hand in the air in confusion before rubbing the back of his head.   
  
Tim shrugged again. “I don’t know. I guess it’s easier for me to just look at it as plain simple facts.” He tipped his head to one side, letting some blacks locks fall onto his face. “Is that bad?”   
  
“What- no-” Conner felt his eyes widen in surprise. Sometimes Tim just acted in ways that were out of this world, and he still wasn’t sure how to react to them. “I mean, as long as you’re not just- you know- bottling up shit inside. That’s not healthy.”   
  
“Oh-” Tim stared right back at him for a moment before his lips curved into a tiny grin. “Thank you. I really mean it.”    
  
Conner could feel the heat on his cheeks that meant he was blushing. He moved quickly to hide his face and stumble to the kitchen. “Do you want anything?” He called back. Great, he’s already acting like a huge idiot.   
  
If Tim noticed any of it, he didn’t show it. He just followed Conner, inspecting the new place with a curious gaze. “Coffee.”   
  
“Coffee. Of course.” Conner shook his head. “What is it with you and coffee?”   
  
“I’m addicted.” Tim gave him an amused smirk. He finished scanning the kitchen, and invited himself to sit on one of the two chairs there.   
  
“You’ll have to do with my store bought coffee then.” Conner smiled back. Minutes later, ha placed a burning hot mug in front of the other. For himself, he just poured some cold root beer into a glass. Tim picked up his mug with two hands, gently cradling it. He looked at it for a long minute, lost in thought, and Conner allowed himself to stare at him and knowing he wouldn’t get caught. He was a strange one, Tim Drake. Not in a bad way at all, but definitely a breed of his own. He was unlike anything in Conner’s life, which only made this weirder. The thought that they were just here, sitting in his kitchen like it was the most natural thing to do.   
  
“Do you believe in destiny?” Tim’s half distracted question made him shift in his sit a little.   
  
“What?”   
  
“Fate, destiny.” Tim furrowed his brows, still focusing on his mug. “Like, how did we get here, you and me? Was it just an accident? A mistake? Who brought me to you, to here?” To some extent, he seemed to echo the exact same thoughts that ran through Conner’s head, which only meant that Conner didn’t have any answer. But Tim continued to pour his thoughts out, unbothered.   
“Do you think we’ve met before, in a different life?”  
  
“I… don’t know if I believe in different lives?” He twisted his nose and shrugged. Where did this come from?  “What are you trying to say?”  
  
“Nothing, just… rambling.” Tim waved one hand in a motion that said to forget it, and then took a sip of his coffee. Conner assumed it made sense. He probably had a lot going on inside his head right now, so he rambled. There were probably worse ways to deal with being kidnapped and who knows what else. After a short while, Tim broke the silence once again.   
  
“So tell me about yourself.”   
  
“Myself?” Conner didn’t expect that. What was it with the Waynes and wanting to know about him. “Listen, there in like, nothing interesting about me. At all. I barely even remember my life they’re so boring.”   
  
“That’s… weird.” Tim seemed to go back to thinking deeply.   
  
“Is it? I don't know.” Conner shrugged. “I know that I grew up in an orphanage and then moved here and all, but I don’t remember faces, or names, barely at all. Is it really weird? Maybe I have a memory problem.”  
  
Tim finished his coffee before he spoke. “Maybe… but I don't think that's the problem.” Before Conner had any chance questioning this bizarre comment, he continued. “So just tell me something random. Like hobbies? Dreams?”  
  
Conner hummed. He never thought about these things too seriously, since it never seemed like he’ll get the chance to act on it. He just lived his life. But it didn't mean he had nothing to dream of. Sometimes he amused himself with thing he’d like to do, if he’ll ever get that unlikely opportunity.   
“You know, I always wanted to travel. Like, Metropolis is nice, but I'd like to also go other places.”  
  
“Oh, where to?” Tim leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. “Now that Gotham’s off the list.”   
  
“I was thinking Kansas, maybe.” he said, and then had to stop because Tim almost immediately looked like he's going to burst out laughing uncontrollably.  
  
“ _ Kansas _ ?” He snickered back to him, holding back a laugh, and Conner could feel his face reddening again.  
  
“Listen!” He called. “It’s just- it feels really warm and calm and home-y? With all the farms and the big open fields and the sun and all.” He shook his head. “You’re a rich boy from Gotham so of course it's not for you. You don’t have to get it”   
  
“No that's not it.” Tim was still grinning. “I was just surprised. But I get it… I guess. You're a country boy at heart.”   
  
“Maybe I am.” Conner shrugged. “Never been there though.”  
  
“Come to think about it, I know someone from Kansas.” Tim tilted his head and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “You... remind me of him a little, actually. I think you kinda look like him.”  
Conner thought it was just another part of the conversation, but Tim looked lost in thought again, as if he was trying to connect pieces that didn’t necessarily fit.   
  
“Maybe you’ll introduce me to him sometime.” He tried to distract the other, but id didn’t seem to help, and Tim just hummed a soft.   
“Maybe…” 

  
  


\----

 

His first visitor came by earlier than expected. He could guess people will come to check up on him, but he didn’t think it would take less than twenty four hours for someone to arrive. The visitor himself was also a surprise. Tim would have placed his bets on Dick or maybe Stephanie showing up first. But when he felt someone watching him and looked up to the window, it was the tall figure of the Red Hood he saw standing on the roof across the street. Weird, but not completely unlikely.    
Tim dragged himself up from the couch and slowly towards the window. He stared for a long moment, and contemplated the idea of just ignoring him and going back to sleep. But it was Jason, ignoring him might just buy him a broken living room window. And he didn’t want to explain to Conner in the morning how something like that happened. So instead he just opened it and looked out for a moment before pointing up towards the roof of his own building. Jason nodded, and already started moving By the time Tim got up to the roof, he was sitting comfortably on the edge, legs dangling down in the air, mask sitting on the floor next to him.   
  
“Red.” Tim both greeted Jason and alerted him of his own presence before he sat down next to him.   
  
“Red.” Jason nodded back. They just sat there in silence for some long few minutes before Jason spoke again. “I heard you scalped B pretty bad. Nice job.”   
  
Tim sighed and rolled his eyes. “I didn’t do it to ‘scalp’ him, I just said what I thought. And how do you even know?”   
  
“Dick told me.” Jason shrugged back.   
  
“Of course. I forgot you guys tell  _ everything _ to each other.” Tim muttered quietly, and then shook his head. “So… why are you here? Did Dick send you?”   
  
“So rude.” Jason smirked. “What? Can’t believe I came here just because I wanted to see you?”    
  
Tim cocked an eyebrow, giving Jason a short look before he turned his face forward towards the city. There wasn’t a lot of view from here, just a next few buildings, and Tim stopped to wonder how much nothing of a place this was.   
“I don’t know, we’re not really close aren’t we? From what I heard you didn’t even come to my funeral.”   
  
That seemed to hit somewhere close, because Jason just gave him a hard glare. For a moment he almost looked like he was asking how the hell did he know. But the he also had that sharp tint of anger that Jason had when he tried to hide his feelings.   
  
“It’s not like said.” He said eventually with a heavy sigh. “Listen Tim, we all thought you died. And I just… I didn’t want you to become the next me, okay? You didn’t deserve it at all, but there it was. You just fucking died. I couldn’t see another dead Robin. I couldn’t bring myself to go. So... think whatever you want I guess.”  
  
Tim wasn’t sure what to say, so he just turned his eyes down, fingers fidgeting with one another. Since he came back, he seemed to be doing a really good job messing up his older relationships. Merely a day and he already managed to fuck up three, pretty strong track record there. Guess he really was ‘scalping’ them one after the other.  
“Sorry, I’m being an asshole.”    
  
Jason let out a short, sarcastic snicker. “And you’re actually admitting it. Wow, aren’t I lucky to be here.”  
  
Tim couldn’t help but laugh a little bit, it was the bitter kind of laugh you give when you just need to let out some stress, but it was enough. He turned to look up, but Metropolis, like Gotham, didn’t really have any stars to offer. He was just staring at dark skies for a long moment, and Jason didn’t seem to mind that much.   
  
“I’m not planning on becoming the next you, by the way.” He passed a hand through his hair.   
  
“No?” Jason asked, and Tim smiled in response.   
  
“Still not planning on killing any Batmans. Maybe just being a little mean to one.”   
The smile Jason gave him in return was the first smile of the night that didn’t have any hint of sarcasm in it. This was nice. He could tell Dick would be welcoming from the first moment he saw him, and Bruce was a much more complicated person to deal with. Jason was in the middle of both. He wasn’t going to automatically welcome him back, but he was also much easier to win over. And it seemed like he’d done it. Good, at least one connection that seemed to be going well.   
  
“So how exactly are you doing, Tim?” With a swift movement, Jason fell to lie on his back, resting his head on his arms.   
  
Tim turned around to look at his and shrugged. “You know, I’m perfectly fine, except for... everything.”   
  
“That seems reasonable.” Jason nodded.  “You know Dick made sure I ask you how long do you think you’ll stay away.”   
  
“Of course.” Tim mumbled. Jason could say he came on his own as many times he wanted, and it might have even be true. But there’s no way Dick didn’t know he was coming, and there was no chance Dick wouldn’t try and get something out of it. “I don’t know. It’s not… safe for you guys to have me around right now.”   
  
“It’s not the reason you gave this morning.”   
  
“Well it is possible to have more than one reason.” Tim rolled his eyes. “This is a private matter to sort, not a family one.”    
  
“Wanna share some of it?” Jason angled his head so he could examine Tim’s face better. “Promise I won’t snitch on you.”   
  
Tim exhaled loudly and reached to scrap the back of his neck. “I’m not sure, honestly. You know how recently we found about the whole world changing thing? How no one can remember exactly what’s changed and what’s missing?” Jason just hummed and nodded, so Tim continued. “Do you ever feel like you might have gotten screwed over in the change?”  
  
Jason frowned, giving the question some consideration before answering.   
“No, not really. I mean, it’s not like my life is perfect, but I think I’m in a pretty decent place. I never really thought about that too much.”   
  
Tim bowed his head. “Well, I started thinking about it lately. And I can’t help but feel like I got royally fucked by that change.”   
  
Jason finally pushed himself back to a sitting position. “So what are you gonna do Red?”   
  
Tim pressed his lips into a thin line and shifted his eyes away from the other. “I’m going to find out what I’ve lost. And I’m going to bring it back.”   
  
“Tss-” Jason smiled, and this time Tim couldn’t tell if it was serious or not. Before he had the chance to think it through Jason got up. He picked his mask off the floor and pushed it back onto his head. It closed around his face, turning his voice back to the slightly metallic tinted tone of the Red Hood. “Sounds like a pretty big challenge.”   
  
“When have I ever been the one to step away from a big challenge?” The conversation was almost over, so Tim stood up as well, brushing the dust from his pants as he did.   
  
“I’d give you that.” Jason nodded. “If you need anything, You can call.”  
This was, to be completely honest, more than he had hoped for. Having a decent conversation was nice enough, but Jason not thinking he’s crazy and even offering him a hand was definitely a bonus. It didn’t change a lot. He was still pretty much set on not getting his family involved in it. But having the option was comforting, getting the offer reminded him he does in fact have a family to rely on.  
  
“Thanks-” He started saying, but Jason was already on the other roof and moving away from there, too far to hear him. Tim shook his head one last time, stretched his arms, and then turned back to the door and got back into the building.

  
  


\----

  
  


Conner came back from a shift at work to find Tim hunched over the living room table, scrambling through some papers and writing notes. He also noticed the quick, slick, barely visible movement of Tim’s hand as he flipped one of the pages on its back right after the door opened. Whatever it was that was written there, Tim decided he wasn’t worthy of seeing it.   
  
“What are you hiding?” Conner wondered as he locked the door behind him and moved towards the table.   
  


Tim shuffled a few more pages with a swift motion of his hand before he looked up, his voice was somewhat sarcastic and his expression deadpan as he answered.   
“I’m Red Robin.”   
  
Conner shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Sure. And I’m Wonder Woman.”    
  
“Maybe with a wig, but getting your muscles into that bodice must be one heck of a time.” Tim’s answer came quickly, almost automatically with how fast it was, and Conner found himself thinking whether Tim ever lost a back and forth in his life.   
  
“Okay.” Conner mumbled, and fell down on the couch next to the other. “So do you want to tell me what this is about anyway? I just had a pretty boring day at work.”  
  
Tim shook his head. The look in his eyes still seemed deep in thought, but somewhat darker than it was before. “Not really. It’s too dangerous for you to know.”   
  
Conner peered at the other, examining him closely for a while before he asked, “Are you looking into the guys who kidnapped you? Is that it?” He could tell Tim was squirming in his place, and this was all the answer he needed. “Look, I know you’re used to being all rich and powerful, but didn’t these people had you locked up for over a month? Faked your death and everything. They sound pretty crazy dangerous. Isn’t it better to just leave all of this behind?”   
  
Tim sighed heavily and raised a hand to pinch at the bridge of his nose. “I can’t just leave it behind. There’s still some answers I need to find.”   
  
“I thought you came here to get away from all of this.” Conner wondered out loud.   
  
“I did-” Tim started, only to stutter on his words and shake his head. “I didn’t- I mean… I don’t know.”  
  
“Hey it’s okay I didn’t mean to freak you out.” Conner said quickly, “Want me to get something to drink? A snack maybe? I can make popcorn.” He decided that changing the subject would be the best option at calming the situation.   
  
“I just need some answers okay?” It didn’t help. “And I can’t tell you about it without sounding crazy.”   
  
“I don’t think you’re crazy.” Conner tried, but that only got him a raised eyebrow and an unbelieving stare.   
  
“Oh really?”   
  
“I don’t! I promise!” He called. “I mean, I think this whole situation is pretty crazy, but you seem alright. It’s not like I know how people usually act after something traumatic happens to them.”   
  
“Don’t worry I have a lot of experience with that.” Tim got up from the couch, and Conner followed right after him, the last thing he expected was an answer like  _ this _ .  
  
“Hey, is everything okay?”  
“So, popcorn you said?”   
  
“You wanna talk about it for a little?”  
  
“I’m just a little overqualified is all.”   
  
“Well I’m here if you need-”  
“Popcorn sounds good. Maybe some cold drinks.”  
  
“Wait a second how did we get back to-?”  
“You asked if I wanted to eat.”   
“Yeah but-” “Anyway I need to get back to th-”  
  
**“Tim! Holy shit”** Conner called out, he placed both of his hands on the other’s shoulders and pressed. It might have been too blunt, but this conversation almost left him breathless and he couldn’t think of any other way to stop the momentum of this giant, growing ball of mess. It seemed to do the trick, because after that the room was dead quiet. It might have worked a little too well, because Tim was staring at him, shocked. Conner pressed a little tighter against his shoulders for a moment before he released them. “Holy shit.” He mumbled again after a moment, offering a soft smile. “You talk really fast.”   
  
It was almost like taking a needle to a balloon which was blown way too big, and it popped in an instant. Tim smiled back at him,  all the tension disappeared almost immediately.   
“Sorry.” He said, voice slow and calm again. “I just got too much into my own head.”   
  
“Okay.” Conner exhaled loudly. “Let’s try again. Do you want to eat something?”  
  
Tim chuckled a little, but seemed to follow. “Sure thing. Popcorn, TV, let’s just spend a normal afternoon together, nothing weird.”  
  
A wide grin stretched Conner’s lips. “Sounds like a good deal to me.” He moved towards the kitchen, and could hear Tim shoving the pages away behind him. When he was back a short few minutes after with a large bowl in his hands, Tim was slouching on the couch, the remote control in his hand.   
Things seemed to be going pretty alright. 

  
  


\----

  
  


After a long day of trying to connect the dots without any real progress, Tim felt almost helpless. He nearly started wondering if he should just get out of here and start searching somewhere else. Maybe whatever that person told him was a lie, just something to keep him following on a dead end. It was probably too rash of him to jump to conclusions this fast, but the more he thought about it the more he felt like he had no choice.  
  
Conner arrived back home just in time to remind him he did, in fact, have a choice. A calm afternoon was exactly what he needed. They sat there, watching TV, and Conner distracted him by telling him stories about the weirdest people that came to his store. None of them was as weird as some of the people Tim encountered in Gotham, but it was amusing enough.   
  
It was already late when he got off the couch, proclaiming that he’s going to take a shower. There was no comparison between this shower and the one he had at the manor, but it gave him a warm stream of water to stand below and drown his thoughts and that was enough for him. He turned the temperature up until it was hot enough to burn. Normal people wouldn’t find it calming, probably. It was a bat people habit, the hot water calmed the itching of the scars down and helped release the stress from his body. He got used to it a long time ago already, and now the burning was comforting.   
  
Tim breathed in deep and closed his eyes. He tried to scan, once more, through his memories from the last month, and especially from the last few days when things started changing. He tried, again, to see if he missed something, some key detail or even just a minor thing. But no, he already poured everything he had on his mind into the papers, and it really didn't give him a lot.  
  
Maybe he could move forward if he had more resources. Which only made his decision to run away from home seem stupid. At home, he’ll have access to both the Wayne network and the Bat computer, not to mention the pools of knowledge that came from Bruce himself. But it was far more likely that if he stayed at home, no one would even let him search. There’ll be eyes on him the entire time. Bruce probably wouldn’t let him near the Batcave before he passed five different psychological evaluations. Who could blame him? It was probably the logical way to act. But Tim didn’t have time for Bruce’s type of logic, he needed to act fast. His life was probably still in danger.   
  
The uncomfortable feeling that someone was watching him caused Tim to open his eyes and scan around the room. It was empty, so he moved his gaze to the ceiling. He could ask Dick for a favor or something if he really needed to. Get him to search the computer for him. Dick would probably do it and it might get him something.   
  
Or he could try and get a Wayne tech computer out of Dick, or maybe ask Jason to snatch him one. It wasn’t as useful as the cave, but it was  _ something _ …  
  
Something was definitely watching him.   
  
Tim looked back down and around. But it was a fairly tiny bathroom without any places to hide. He was definitely the only person here.   
“Probably just a fly or something.” He muttered quietly, and let warm water wash over his face. He’s probably just paranoid. Maybe a psychological examination really was in order.   
  
But then he caught something in the corner of his eyes that seemed out of place. Tim turned quickly, only to come across a reflection in the mirror above the sink.   
  
Except it wasn’t really a reflection. It was one of his old captors. Same generic face, glaring at him with menacing eyes.   
  
Tim let out a sharp, surprised scream. He jerked so hard he slipped against the wet floor, bumping his head against the wall and crashing a few bottles down before he managed to grab onto the metal bar of the shower head and stable himself.   
  
“Fuck…” He huffed. That was a lot of noise, most likely this was heard.   
  
And just as he thought, Conner’s voice came through the door about a second later.   
“Is… is everything okay there?”   
  
“Y-yeah.” Time raised his voice enough so it will be heard over the water.  
  
“Are you sure? That sounded like a lot of crashing and falling.” Conner tried again.   
  
Tim let out a deep sigh before speaking. “I just fell. It’s fine!”   
  
“Okay.” Conner didn’t sound at all convinced, but he complied anyway. Tim anticipated that, it was the pinch in his chest that he didn’t expect. Or the crippling fear that someone might still be watching him. Someone he can’t really catch and can’t protect himself against. A feeling that the hot water just couldn’t shake off. And the new bruise on the back of his head didn’t help him feel any better either.   
  
It was an incredibly lousy moment.  
“Um, Conner?” He tried. Luckily he guessed right, and Conner was still waiting in hearing distance on the other side of the door, ready to check up on him.   
  
“Yeah?”   
  
“Do you- um-” Tim was surprised by how embarrassed he felt all of a sudden. “Can you come in here?”   
  
“I- whoa! Tim um, we just met?!” Of course. Why wouldn’t he take it the wrong way?   
  
“Not like that!” Tim called, maybe a little too loud. “I just- I can’t be alone right now, okay? I’m seeing things. Just sit on the toilet seat and close your eyes.  **That’s all** .”   
  
“Oh, I can do that!” Conner proclaimed, and after a moment of wait he added, a bit more carefully. “Then I’m coming in now.” And he did. He opened the door and closed it behind him. He made sure to keep his face towards the door and away from the shower when he closed the lid on the toilet and sat down. Even with his eyes closed, Tim could tell how awkward he felt. So he let out a soft   
“Thank you.”   
  
That helped a little. Tim moved his gaze away and got back to finishing his shower. It was embarrassing at first, but pretty quick this feeling made it’s way to a more normal, comfortable feeling. Almost like it was completely natural for Conner to be there.   
  
“I’m coming out of the shower now, so don’t look.” He warned before he closed the water and stepped out. Tim picked up a clean towel, and waited. He knew he probably shouldn’t, but he couldn’t resist the urge to turn his head and look at the other. And Conner was sitting there, eyes closed, and looked just as calm as Tim felt himself.  
This most likely should have felt weird, but it didn’t, and Tim found himself moving. He stopped a few inches from the other, dropping the towel to the ground in favor of placing both of his hands on the sides of Conner’s face. He brushed his fingers softly through the edges of his hair, just barely touching. He was ready for Conner to flinch, or move away, or ask what the hell he was doing.   
  
But he didn’t.  
For a long moment Conner hardly even moved. Then he leaned forward, just enough for the edge of his nose to brush against Tim’s abdomen in a way that almost made Tim shiver. He moved his arms slowly, and Tim let him place his hands gently on the back of his thighs. Tim probably should’ve moved, but instead he stayed still. He guessed Conner took it as a sign, or maybe he just acted without thinking, as he started to gently move his thumbs, rubbing against Tim’s skin, pushing just a little bit harder. Tim had to bite at his lower lip to stop the tiny moan that threatened to push out of his throat.    
  
The thought occurred to him, how this felt like one of the most intimate moments he had in his life. It wasn’t them hooking up, in was personal and comforting and somehow everything he needed. It also felt like a blow so hard his lungs lost all the air they had in them.   
  
“We did know each other before everything changed, did we?” He whispered, voice trembling. He felt cheated. Someone, somehow, stole something that was so precious to him, and he still couldn’t tell exactly  _ what  _ it was.  
  
“I.. I should probably go and change.” He added after a moment. Conner didn’t try to stop him as he moved back and picked up the towel, and didn’t open his eyes or told him to wait when Tim went out of the small bathroom.       
  
He did come into the bedroom a few moments later, when Tim was already dressed.   
“I’m going to kiss you.” He said. When Tim didn’t object Conner placed one hand on his cheek, pulled him close and joined their lips together. It was careful, and soft, and Tim closed his eyes and leaned into it. He savored every second, and even then, when Conner broke contact, it felt too short.   
  
“What was that about back there?” Conner asked, voice breathless.   
  
“I don’t know.” Tim mumbled back, as quiet as he could as to not break the moment.   
  
“Then why did you say it?” Conner asked.  
“Then why did you kiss me?” Tim returned right back at him. It was better than saying, again, that he couldn’t share his reasons.   
  
“I don’t know.” Conner rubbed his thumb against Tim’s cheekbone, and Tim leaned into the touch.     
  
“See?” He hummed. Tim gave out a small, sad smile before he moved away from the other touch. They had a lot to talk about, it seemed, but he couldn’t explain even the half of it. Tonight wasn’t the time for it, not yet.   
“I'm going to sleep, you should do the same.” he offered. Conner was just staring at him. For a second Tim thought he was frozen, but no, He sighed and shook his head.  
  
“I don’t get you.”   
  
“It’s fine.” Tim smiled again. “I don’t get myself either.”  
He sneaked one last look at Conner before he left the room in silence.  


	7. Chapter 7

During the week following what he came to catalog as ‘the incident’, Tim developed the habit of sleeping in the same bed with Conner. During the first night he couldn’t sleep, and he dragged himself to the other’s room about two hours before he had to wake up. In the second night he gave up sleeping on the couch three hours before morning. On the third night, he waited just enough to be sure Conner was fast asleep before he got up and left the living room in favor of the bed. And then on the fourth night, Conner just looked at him with a soft smile, pointed back towards his room and asked.  
  
“You’re coming?”  
   
And that was it. Conner didn’t ask why he did it, or made a big deal out of it. He just let Tim do it, and bless him for that. Because it was exactly what he needed, and it was something that no one else could give him. Not only the feeling of safety, but of acceptance, without him having to justify anything at all.  
   
It was a small twin bed, just barely enough for two people, so they had to manage. Tim settled pretty quickly on being the little spoon. Admittedly, he kinda liked it. The warmth of someone else against him made him feel secure, and helped lessening the nightmares.  
There was definitely something weird about all of this, this closeness without actually being close. Sometimes Tim felt like they were playing pretend. Imagining they were something, maybe friends, maybe lovers, anything other than what they really were. But no one mentioned it when the morning came, so he just let it slide and went on with it as the days passed.  
   
That brought him to a week after said ‘incident’. Tim woke up and shuffled gently out of bed as to not wake the other up. Understandably, it didn’t work. Conner murmured something intangible before opening one eye, and Tim just pointed towards the door.  
   
“Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you.”  
   
“‘Sfine.” Conner shrugged, and let Tim pass easily as he got out of the bed and went towards the kitchen. That was it, that was about the extent of them acknowledging their nightly arrangement. One or the other waking up, a few half understandable words, and onto the rest of the day.  
   
Tim filled the kettle with water and turned it on, letting the water burn as he turned to take two mugs out. It wasn’t a hard task for him, to memorize where everything was in the small kitchen. Took him about a day. Quickly enough there was a jar of coffee and sugar on the counter.  
   
“Hey.” Tim called, “Do you want coffee?”    
When no answer came, Tim leaned towards the kitchen door, hoping to be heard better.  
   
“Hey Con-” He started, and then had to stop midway through the sentence. Because something was thugging restlessly and the edges of his memories, refusing to dissolve. He furrowed his brows, turned his head down and pinched his nose as he said again, this time to himself, voice barely above a whisper. “Kon…”  
   
Tim rolled the word in his mouth, repeating the nickname again and again in his head and trying to decide what it reminded him. And then it hit him. He almost crashed the mug against the edge on the wall when he sprinted to the bedroom door, eyes wide in surprise.  
   
“Kent?!”  
   
Conner turned to the other side of the bed, lifting his head to squint at Tim with sleepy eyes. He mumbled something before adding a barely audible “What?”  
   
“Your family name is Kent?”     
   
Conner groaned, a normal reaction for someone who had his sleep brutally interrupted. Still, he answered.  
“Yeah.”  
   
He probably hoped Tim would just leave him at that, but Tim shook his head in disbelief.  
“Really? Kent?”  
   
“It’s not a big deal?” Conner cocked an eyebrow, “I got it in the orphanage so it doesn't actually mean anything. Why are you freaking out about it?”  
   
“I-” Tim started, but stopped himself before he could start and shook his head. How can he even begin to explain that? Explain why it was important to any of this? He couldn’t, not yet. So he just shook his head and shrugged. “It’s nothing, You want breakfast?”     
   
Breakfast seemed to be enough of a distraction, especially when Conner scoffed at Tim’s interpretation of what the ‘most important meal of the day’ is.  
“That’s just coffee.” He shook his head. Already taking out the ingredients to make an omelette. “It’s not even an actual meal.”  
So they made eggs and sat down to eat, and if Conner noticed Tim sneaking looks and examining him, he didn’t say so. Now that Tim thought about it, there were similarities, a lot of them, actually. So much so that he was surprised he didn’t think about it before. Maybe because it was so crazy a theory, so out of left field. He couldn’t have… or could he?  
   
“-out?” Conner’s voice getting to him mid sentence caused him to realize we was too deep in thought. Tim shook his head, passed a hand through his hair and sighed.  
“Sorry I wasn’t listening. What?”  
  
“I was saying.” Conner tried again, an amused look in his eyes. “I think that maybe we can go out somewhere today. Isn’t being stuck in one apartment driving you crazy?”     
   
“Oh-” Tim didn’t even think about it, he was too busy with trying to connect dots to realize he didn’t really move from this small, four room space.  Maybe he really should get out, a break might help him clean his head and look at things differently.  
“Sure. Why not.”    
   
Conner grinned widely. “Great! I’ll be back home at five, so we can decide what to do then.” He gazed at the clock, mumbled something about having to get ready for work and left the table. Just a few minutes later he was off to work, and Tim was left alone.  
   
Well, he had a few hours until five.  
Back to dot connecting.  
   
Except today, he had a lot more to connect than usual. Tim brought his pages out. By that time they were a mess, crumpled and torn and filled with so many layers of erased theories the paper became gray. Still, he found an empty sport and wrote in big letters _‘Superman?’_  
After a moment he circled the word. Kansas? The name Kent? And those freaking bright blue eyes and squared jaw. It looked so clear all of a sudden. Maybe too clear. They knew Superman, and Clark didn’t seem to mention anything like this. Then again, Barry Allen didn’t remember the second Flash as well. So it might just be the same situation. Even with this explanation, it almost seemed too absurd. What was he to Superman? A son? A younger brother? Maybe cousin? None of these felt right to him.  
   
None of it made sense and yet all of it seemed to make too much sense. Tim felt crazy with how sure of it he was. But he knew. There was no way to explain it other than he just felt it inside, but he was sure. As sure of this as he was sure of only a few things in his life. Conner, somehow, was related to Superman.  
   
Now he just have to figure out how. Or why.  
   
And that just might be the key to getting his old captors off his back.  
   
A knock on the door made Tim jump in his place in surprise. Who could it be? A mailman? Another visit from his family? It seemed reasonable enough. After all it has been a week since Jason was here, they have been extremely patient with him.  
   
“Who is it?” He called, bundling the pages together as he did. No answer.  
Huh.  
Tim slowly stood up and turned his eyes to the door. It might still be one of them. Cass was quiet, and Jason liked to fuck with him. And maybe he just missed the answer like he missed Conner speaking to him earlier.  
   
“Who’s there?” He tried again, and again he got no answer. He picked up the remote from the table. It wasn’t ideal, but it would work if he needed a quick weapon in case he needs to smack someone. Tim started walking slowly towards the door, carefully placing his steps as to not make any noise and give whoever it was any knowledge. He might have been paranoid, sure. But can you blame him? He grew up with Batman. They were all a little paranoid.  
   
Finally, he got close enough to look into the peephole. He clenched his teeth as he did, only to find a completely empty hallway on the other side.  
Did he start imagining things? He was sure someone knocked. Maybe being stuck in this apartment really did play a number on him.     
   
“Usually when someone knocks it’s polite to answer, Timothy.”  
   
Tim turned around and ducked to the side just in time, barely escaping the hand that was trying to catch him. A hand that belonged to a man with an indistinct face, wearing simple clothes and this time, a bright cape as well.  
   
“What are you doing here?” Tim scoffed back. His heart was beating hard in his chest. God damn it. Why here? Why now? He has to command himself to relax, look around him, think about his exit plan. Window, maybe, but he has no equipment and a fall might immobilize him for too long. The door then, he’ll have to get out the long way. Or he can stay and fight. He was pretty sure these guys were capable with magic, but he could try and punch his way out. Take him down, escape after.    
   
“I’m here to stop you, Timothy. It took me awhile to get you when you’re alone.” Okay, that was good, that meant he didn’t want witnesses. So if Tim could make it to the street, he should be fine.  
   
“I’m not coming back with you.” He said, shaking his head slightly, taking a careful step forward. Just a little more…  
   
“Oh, I’m not here to take you back.” The guy said, a sly smile on his lips. All of a sudden, Tim thought he recognized that specific tone. It wasn’t a comforting thought. “I’m here to kill you.”    
   
Okay, time’s up. Tim swung the remote with as much force as he could, smacking it against the stranger’s face. The surprise seemed to help, and he used the window of opportunity he got to turn around and open the door.  
   
Not fast enough.  
The captor grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and flung him backwards. Tim wheezed in pain as his back crashed against the wall with force. He barely moved aside in time, the slash that came down his way left a deep, painful cut on the side of his body, one that immediately started bleeding. If he was half a second slower he’d be cut in half right now. Luckily for him, he wasn't.  
   
Well, that depends on how you define lucky.  
Tim grabbed the thing closest to him, a now empty mug, and threw it at the other. The sound it made when it broke rang in his ears, but even before it faded Tim was up. He jumped high and kicked at the other with full force, landing on the other side and again back at the door. One step at a time, he just need to buy enough time for him to get out to the street. That’s all, he doesn’t need to win.  
But he’ll need to stop the bleeding, this already looked pretty dower.  
   
He ducked from another slash, but a kick sent him right through the door. So much mess, he’ll pay up for it later. Right now he was in the hallway, and that was another step forwards. Tim pulled himself up from the floor and ran. From what he saw, his captor could just teleport and block his way. This was exactly what the captor did, showing between him and the staircase. Tim jumped to the side and grabbed into the handrail, bypassing the other. He got another small cut in his arm for his effort.  
   
Maybe he should’ve picked up more weapons. He could’ve distracted him by throwing more things and use it to get some distance. Too late for that now.  
   
“Running is futile, Timothy.” He heard the other call behind him. “I’m gonna get you sooner or later.”  
He didn’t stop to answer, not even to look back. All he needed to do was to get out, to where there were witnesses and he’ll be safe for now.  
   
Just a little bit more...

  

\----

 

   
Another day, another shift. Work was boring in the past week, just as it always has been. But when he got home, Tim was there. It might have seemed like a small change, but to him it was a huge one. It wasn’t just a second person to live with- a person who was quickly becoming his friend, maybe even more than just his friend- he brought a whole new layer of meanings and mystery. Sometimes Tim would say some things, or act a certain way, and Conner would just have to stare at him dumbfounded and think how he can’t even understand him. But then later, when he stopped thinking about it and just let things sit at the back of his mind, he seemed to understand completely. All of a sudden crazy things like ‘we used to know each other before’ seemed perfectly natural to him. Sure, why wouldn’t they? They felt so comfortable with each other, not because the other was perfect. It was more like… Conner already knew how to deal with his imperfections. So heck, why not? Maybe they did meet in another life.  
   
It was like this every single day, and it got more natural and more comfortable as time went by. Conner liked it. He liked not living alone, he liked Tim.  
   
The sound of the door opening caused him to raise his eyes from the cashier- only to have them open wide in surprise.  
“Hey, you oka-” He started, but stopped as Tim half leaned half _crashed_ against the counter. Only then he noticed the blood staining Tim’s shirt, and hand, and now the floor behind him as well. There was so much blood out Conner was surprised he even got this far. Then the second wave of realization hit him, right after the first, and his breath stopped because Tim was wounded badly. What the fuck? And more importantly, how?  
  
“Tim! What happened? Who did this?” He left his place and crossed the counter, placing one careful hand of the other’s back.  
   
Tim flinched, pressing one hand against his side. He grabbed Conner’s arm with his other hand.  
“We have to move.”  
   
“Move- what? Of course we have to move we need to get you to a hospital!” Conner shook his head, shooting a begging look the the guy back in the kitchen. He’ll have so much explaining to do. But that wasn’t really important right now. It was more important to make sure Tim is alright.  
   
“No. We have to get to Gotham.” Tim shook his head, and for a second Conner thought he might’ve just gone crazy.  
   
“Gotham?” He huffed. He moved his hand across Tim’s back, helping the other stable himself against Conner as they walked out to the street. “Tim’ it’s crazy. You need a hospital.”  
   
“No. What I need is to be in Gotham. I don’t have any time to waste.” Tim argued again.  
   
“Time to- Of course you don't have time to waste! You’re bleeding!” He called, maybe a little too loud. No one could blame him though, how else are you supposed to react when something like that happens? Tim might have felt it. He stopped walking so that he could stare fiercely at Conner.  
   
“Listen to me right now.” He demanded, voice commending, and Conner complied. “The people chasing me are not going to be stopped by a random hospital room in Metropolis. It might buy me time, but I’m gonna end up dead anyway. I need resources, I need protection, I need to get to Gotham. Don’t argue with me, just get us on a cab.”  
   
Conner swallowed and took a deep breath. Somehow, god knows how, that helped. Even with how bad the implications of Tim’s words were. At least it gave him something simple and clear to do. He could at least hold on to that.  
“Okay…” He mumbled, still a little dumbfounded. “Taxi. I can do that…”    
Tim opened his mouth to answer, but winced instead. The expression on his face made Conner’s blood boil. Someone hurt him so easily, and he couldn’t do anything about it other than being a bumbling idiot.  
   
“Get on my back.” He offered and bent down. “We can move faster this way.” Conner gently helped Tim until he was resting comfortably on his back, holding onto his shoulder with the hand that wasn’t pressing on his wound.  
“You ready?” He asked.  
   
“Ready.” Tim said, voice quiet. Conner placed his own hands under Tim’s thighs and straightened up. There was a big road not too far from there, so that’s where he headed. There they’ll find a cab and get to Gotham and everything would be alright.  
Or something like that. It was hard to believe it when he felt Tim’s blood dripping on his back.     
   
“Relax.” Tim hummed.  
   
“What?” Conner huffed.  
   
“Relax.” Tim repeated. “I can feel you panicking. It’s okay, I’m scared too. We can do this.”  
   
Conner exhaled deeply, a worried chuckle escaping his mouth. “You’re not really the one who should be reassuring right now.”  
   
“Okay. We’re both going to die.” Tim nodded.  
   
Conner rolled his eyes. “I changed my mind. Go back to being nice.”  
He stopped when they got to the road, lifting one hand to signal for a taxi. It shouldn’t be that big of a problem to get one to stop right now. The hard thing would be to convince the driver to take them. True to his thoughts, only a few minutes had passed before a cab stopped next to them.  
   
“We need a ride to Gotham.” Conner said, a worried expression on his face. The driver just leaned towards the window, and looked at him with an unbelieving glare.  
   
“All the way to Gotham you say? You’re gonna ruin my back seats like that, you know that?”  
  
“I’ll pay you five hundred dollars.” Tim lifted his head to peer at the driver from behind Conner.  
   
“Like hell I’d believe that.” The driver shook his head.  
   
“Hey. Look right here.” Tim said. “I’m Tim Wayne. If I say something, I’ll do it. You have enough time until Gotham to check it, right?”  
Conner just gave an apologetic smile.  
   
“We really need the ride. I’m sorry. My friend lost a lot of blood, his doctor is in Gotham. I promise we'll pay you.” He tried.  
   
“Fine, whatever.” The driver rolled his eyes. “Wayne my ass. But it’s a slow day, so Gotham it is. I don’t want a guy to die because of me.”  
   
They got into the back seat of the taxi, and the driver start the car and drove away. It shouldn’t be too long, Conner thought to himself. They just need to sit back and relax now. At least the first part is behind them. He glanced at Tim, who was doing a pretty good job in not looking like he was hurt. At least, as long as you just looked at his face.  
“Are you sure about this?” He tried again. “The hospital here is closer.”  
  
“I’m sure.” Tim nodded. Conner sighed. He removed a few hairs from Tim’s face, carefully stroking his cheek as he did.  
Insane. All of this was insane.  
   
Tim offered half a smile for a moment before he spoke. “I need you to help me rip my pants. All the way to the knee.”  
  
“Why?” Conner wondered.  
  
“So I can tie it against my wound. It would be better than just pressing my hand against it.” Tim explained, and Conner nodded and did as he said. He leaned in carefully, murmuring an apology before he ripped Tim’s pants at the knee. He followed Tim’s orders and tied it around his waist, placing the weight of the knot against the wound. Tim groaned in pain as he did so, but he said nothing.  
   
“You’re going to be alright.” He murmured, barely a whisper. Maybe he didn’t even mean to say it out loud. Maybe he was just saying it to calm himself. To promise himself that Tim is going to make it. That he isn’t going to lose him just barely after they found each other. He found Tim’s hand and took it into his. As they drove, his eyes moved to the outside once every few seconds, trying to see how far they got. It just felt like they were driving so slow. It took too long, every minute felt agonizing.  
   
Tim pressed back against his hand. “You look panicked again.” He murmured, voice low.  
   
“Of course I am.” Conner shook his head. “I mean, look at you. Do you really expect me not to be worried?” He pressed a hand against Tim’s forehead, only for the other to laugh softly.  
   
“I don’t have a fever, I’m just bleeding.”  
   
“A- I don’t know.” Conner could feel himself blushing. “I just want to make sure that you’re alright? No clue what to do.”  
   
“You’re doing fine, really.” Tim gave out a weary smile. “Look, we’re already entering Gotham.”  
   
Conner turned to look out the window, and to his surprise Tim was right. Gotham could already be seen. He breathed a sigh of relief. Close, they were close.  
   
But all of a sudden Tim jerked up next to him.  
“Look out!” He called out, voice loud.  
   
And all of a sudden there was a man standing in the ,middle of the road. Where the heck did this man come from?! The loud beep of the car horn teared through his ears, but the man didn’t move at all. He could hear the driver cursing loudly, and then the tires screeching as he turned the wheel and turned to the side. Insane, they got this far only to die.  
The last thing he could see before they crashed into a traffic light was a flash of purple.


	8. Chapter 8

Tim woke up to the feeling of sharp pain, first in his head, and then in the side of his body. Pain, ironically, was good. It meant he was still alive. The next thing he realized was that it didn’t hurt as much as it probably should have. Meaning someone took care of him. He could feel the bandages wrapping his waist and arm. Now he only had to fill in the rest of the blanks and see who did it. Tim opened his eyes and pushed himself to a sitting position, only to be pushed back down before he even got halfway seated.  
  
“Relax there, boy wonder.” A sweet, bubbling voice punctured the silence.   
_Stephanie_.  
Tim turned his head to the side, taking in the sight. Steph was wearing her Spoiler outfit, covered in black and purple, with her blond hair peeking under the hood. The lower part of her face was covered by the mask, but Tim could still tell she was pouting. Probably unhappy with how their reunion turned out.   
   
“Where..?” he started, and she barely gave him time to ask before she bursted into talking.   
   
“We’re at Leslie’s. She saved your life you know, _I_ saved your life. How did you get yourself wounded so badly? I thought you’re taking a break. This is so irresponsible of you I just can't believe it.” In regular Stephanie Brown fashion, once she started talking the words just didn’t stop.   
   
“How-?” He tried to ask, but again she cut him off, already answering the question he didn’t get to ask. “We were watching you. Of course we were watching you. From afar, because B wanted to give you some privacy, but we still did.”  
   
“B… like, as in Batman?!” A second voice spoke, Conner. Tim turned his head again to see Conner seated on a chair in the corner of the room. Now he noticed they indeed were in the familiar back room of Leslie’s special clinique. Not too fancy, just a small, clean cut room with his bed and two chairs. Conner seemed slightly bruised, but not anything too massive. Tim sighed quietly in relief. He wouldn’t forgive himself if Conner was hurt because of him.   
   
“Exactly.” Stephanie nodded. Conner looked at her, and then moved his head sharply to Tim, eyes widening in surprise as some pieces connected inside his mind.   
   
“You weren’t joking when you said you’re Red Robin?!”   
   
“...No.” Tim offered a smile as he shook his head. “I was actually telling the truth on this one.”   
Conner just stared at him, for a very long moment. Tim wondered for a second if he’s ever going to speak again. But before he had time to ponder, Stephanie got back to the conversation.   
   
“Wait, you just _told_ him your secret identity? Just like that?” She called, “Tim!”   
   
“Hey, until now he thought I was simply being sarcastic. So technically it was you who blew my cover.” Tim’s smile was lopsided, he tilted his head, slightly flinching at the pain. Stephanie just huffed in return, shaking her head in obvious disdain. For the longest moment she looked as if she was heavily considering punching him. But then she leaned down, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a hug.   
   
“You idiot.” She half hummed half whined. “I was so worried… It’s good to finally have you back. I missed you Tim”  
   
She really did, he could tell. Steph was never the best liar, even less so in front of him. Tim could just tell whenever she was honest, or not. But you didn’t need to be an expert to feel the warmth in her hug. Same warmth Dick had when he hugged him at the manor.   
One again Tim found himself thinking that maybe he shouldn’t have been such an ass to them.   
Tim shifted slightly so that he could hug Stephanie back, turning around to pat on the back of her head while simultaneously burying his face in her shoulder.   
“I missed you too.” He said quietly. “It’s good to be back.”     
   
“You’re alive!” she muttered into his ear. Her arms pressed harder around him, just on the edge of gripping. Any other time Tim would make a comment, say how she was overreacting, how they have more important things to do. But now he just kept quiet and let her hold onto him. Tim could tell she needed that, truly, deeply. He could give her at least that, after all he put her through. And if he was completely honest, he needed that as well. Is was nice to feel wanted. He waited for a long minute, before Stephanie lessened her grip. Moved her arms and gently lay him back onto the bed. From the corner of his eyes he could see Conner nervously looking away, fingers carelessly fidgeting with each other.   
Well, maybe he should wait with the touching reunions until he’s done with all of this. Or at least until the other is resting somewhere safe. He was probably already scarring Conner, no need to embarrass him as well.  
   
“Did you tell B I’m here?” He questioned, moving his eyes back to Stephanie.   
   
“Not yet.” She shook her head. “I’ll tell him tonight, when I see him. Or do you not want me to?” She wondered. “I don’t think I can lie to him about that. You know how he his, he’ll notice something is wrong right away.”   
   
Tim gave the idea a little thought. If he was honest with himself, he wasn’t sure he’s ready to see Bruce again. Not so fast. And not under these circumstances. He left in a hurry last time, barely gave Bruce any time to respond. Didn’t wait for an apology he knew probably wouldn’t come. At least not verbally. They still had a conversation to finish, many things to say,  and right now was probably not the time for it. But even if he wasn’t ready to see Bruce, he had to see _Batman_. He needed Batman’s knowledge, his ideas, his mentoring and advice. This was help that no one else could give him. Whatever feelings he had, Tim had to ignore them for now.   
   
“It’s fine.” He ended up nodding. “Until the evening is enough time. You can tell him once you see him.”   
   
“Okay.” She smiled, for once not arguing. Maybe this was due to his ‘we’re glad you’re alive’ grace period. Probably. He’ll still take it.   
   
“So, um-” He started. “Spoiler, this is Conner.” He gestured between them, “Conner, meet Spoiler.”   
   
“Nice to meet you.” Stephanie cheered as she turned around to wave at him. Conner used the introduction as an invitation to stand up and move closer towards the bed. Only to be stopped in surprise when Stephanie added. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”   
   
“You have?” He asked, eyebrows rising up.   
   
“Heard you’re a cool dude.” Her smirk was visible under the mask. “Is that true?”  
   
“Okay.” Tim called, whatever direction this was going, he didn’t have the strength for. One interrogation was already waiting for Conner, he didn’t need two. “Can we save the questions for later?”   
   
“Oh, trust me.” Stephanie giggled. “There’s gonna be a lot of questioning later.” When Tim turned to glare at her, she added. “I’m not even talking about me! What do you think your brothers are going to do? Or Batman?”   
She did have a point. When he was Bruce, he had his persona to play in front of Conner. That was not the case as Batman. He’s probably going to be relentless. And his brothers… they would just be annoying to deal with. Tim let out a soft sigh, turning his eyes to Conner.   
   
“She is right about that.” He muttered. “But don’t let him scare you, okay?”   
   
“I…” Conner muttered, passing his weight from one leg to the other and scratching the back of his head. “I don’t think that’s something you can ask from a normal person.”   
   
Stephanie let out a short laugh, fixing the hood over her hair. “Well, I bet you guys have some things to talk about, so I’ll be on my way.” She placed a hand on Tim’s shoulder, pressing it gently. “Be careful Tim”   
   
“I will be.” Tim promised, offering a smile.   
   
“Good. And tell me if you need anything.” She added. “Don’t you dare trying to keep me in the dark!”   
   
Tim shook his head and held back a sigh. “I’ll try.” was the best he could promise. That was enough for now. Stephanie squeezed harder for a moment before she let go. She waved goodbye at Conner before exiting the room and closing the small, white door behind her. 

 

\----

 

With every turn, things just turned out to be more and more insane. As if a light car accident wasn’t enough of a mess, being picked up by a superhero only made it more bizarre. And now his new friend was a vigilante and he was about to meet Batman… Or something like that. By now, Conner wasn’t sure he was following.   
He moved his head from the closed door back to the young man lying on the bed. The blanket that covered Tim slipped lower before, and the areas of his body that were revealed were covered with scars. Funny, he never really noticed those marks before, and now all of a sudden it felt like he should have. There were a lot of them, so many scars. For how long has Tim been doing this? His eyes moved from the scars on Tim’s body to the bandages covering him. He thanked god for getting here on time. The blood was all cleaned up and the wound was hidden, but Conner couldn’t shake the fear seeing those instilled in him. The fear for seeing Tim hurt.   
With a short sigh, Conner pulled the now empty chair and set down.   
“Are all of your days this… eventful?” he said at the end, trying to ease up the silence with a half smile.   
  
“No.” Tim said quickly, but then shrugged as he thought about this and added. “Well, sometimes they are. But not always.”  
   
Conner cocked an eyebrow, couldn’t help but looking completely unbelieving. “Really?”   
   
“I swear.” Tim nodded, finally having his lips stretch into a grin. Conner huffed, he almost made it look like this wasn’t a big deal. Which was a lie. This was absolutely a big deal.  
   
“Okay so… um.” Conner started, only to let out a nervous laugh mid sentence. “Mind doing some explaining?”   
   
Tim nodded again, he waited for Conner to stop fidgeting before pulling himself up to a sitting position. It was slow, and he flinched a little while doing it, but once he finished, he spoke. “Just like I told you. I’m Red Robin. Before that I’ve been Robin. I’m working with Batman for years and, um… What else do you need explaining for?”   
Conner stared at the other for a long moment. That information will still take some time to really process. But really, was it that far removed from _‘hey I’m a Wayne, I was kidnapped and you’re my only hope’_? It just seemed like another extra thing after that bit.   
   
“So these people that kidnapped you… Did they kidnap Tim Wayne, or Red Robin?”   
   
A long pause, Tim averted his gaze, hand mindlessly tugging at his own hair when he spoke. “The truth is… they wanted both.”   
   
“May I ask why?” Conner wondered, and Tim just shook his head. That made sense, but it also made his heart clench. Tim seemed to share a lot with him, but this wasn’t enough. He couldn’t help but wanting to know more. Sure, he probably got information Tim wasn’t even supposed to share. After all, if anyone found out the adopted son Bruce Wayne was also a sidekick to Batman…  
   
Suddenly, realization dawned on him.   
Oh.   
“Wait! Batman is-?!” He started, and Tim immediately moved to cover Conner’s mouth with his hand.   
   
“We’re not talking about who Batman is either.” He said, waiting to find approval in Conner’s eyes before he moved his arms. “Not right now. It’s already complicated enough. He’s going to come here, and he’s going to have a lot of questions. To me mostly, but to you as well.”  
   
“Me?” Conner couldn’t help the natural way his body jumped a little in his place at the thought of being interrogated. “I barely know anything. What could he want from me?”  
   
“He’ll want to know why, out of all the people in the world, my message got to you.” Tim explained. Conner blinked once, and then twice more. Didn’t Tim say he got to him by accident? Was that a lie? That shouldn’t surprise him, right? Red Robin was probably used to lying to other people. But he didn’t really know Red Robin. Hell, he barely knew Tim Drake. And the way it seemed from his point of view, Tim was being pretty honest up until today. Secretive, yes, but not a liar.   
   
“Is there a reason for that?” He tried.   
   
“Not one that I can tell you right now. Not without sounding crazy.” Tim’s face was so serious, and Conner couldn’t help but roll his eyes and shake his head.   
   
“Crazy? You don’t want to sound Crazy?” He carelessly gestured around and then at himself, tone rising as he spoke. “Look at me, up until a week ago my life were completely normal. And now i’m in a secret hospital in Gotham with a boy I just met but somehow feels really close with. Someone who I had no reason to ever meet in my life. And as if that wasn’t enough, I’m about to be questioned by the Batman. I’m pretty sure I’ve already showed you I can deal with ‘crazy’, Tim. None of this made sense up until now. And to be honest I have been extremely patient with all of it. Do I look like I care?”    
   
He didn’t expect the silence to prevail after he spoke, letting his words echo throughout the small room. All of a sudden, he feared he went too far. Him just bursting out like this all of a sudden seemed to leave Tim speechless. Conner took a deep breath, and let out the air with a long, drawn out sigh.   
“Is it because of what you said in the bathroom that day?” This time when he spoke, his voice was quiet again. “About us knowing each other before?”  
   
Finally, Tim nodded. “I think it might be related. Yes.” Conner nudged him to continue with his eyes, and Tim listened. “I think someone, somehow, erased our memories of each other, and maybe some other memories as well.”   
   
“Oh.” Conner let out.   
   
“I know.” Tim didn’t even wait for a more tangible replay. “It’s insane.”  
   
“No. I mean…” Conner breathed, shaking his head gently. “Yeah, it is. But I also kinda get it? I think it might explain why you feel so... Comfortable?”  
   
He didn’t expect to see Tim blush at the words. His eyes widened for just a sliver of a moment, and his cheeks were colored a delicate shade of red that made Conner’s heard flutter in a way he wasn’t prepared for.   
   
“It’s weird isn’t it?” Tim wondered, voice soft as a spoke. “I tried thinking why I ended up going with you to Metropolis instead of staying here with my family. I had a lot of reasons, logical ones. And honestly most of them are still logical right now. But…” He lingered for a second, tilting his head. “I think you’re right. Being around you just felt comfortable, safe.” The slight nod that he gave at the end wasn’t directed to Conner, it almost felt like he realized something within himself. His understanding was accompanied by a very quiet “Oh.” of his own.   
   
Conner didn’t know a lot about life, but he thought he understood what that meant.  
   
“Oooo?” he allowed himself a moment of playfulness and levity as he leaned forward, trying to catch the other’s gaze with his own. “So you like me?” It almost felt out of place, saying something like that all of a sudden. But maybe because of that, it was just the right time to do such a thing. It broke the tension in the room with one, swift smirk of his lips. A much welcome entanglement of the strings that built inside his belly from the moment Tim showed up at his work bleeding.   
   
And it stayed like that even when Tim huffed over dramatically and rolled his eyes and murmured, “Now’s not the time for that, Conner.”  
   
“Whatever.” Conner nodded, but didn’t back up. “I know you do.”  
   
“Shut up.” Tim protested through the smile that tugged at his lips, threatening to break his serious demeanor. “It really isn’t about that.”   
   
It wasn’t really an answer, but it was fine. More than fine in his mind, it was somehow even... cute of Tim to act like that.   
“Okay.” He gave up, sitting straight back up. Tim’s eyes followed him as he moved, still examining him. Still thinking endlessly behind those blue pupils. But he seemed somewhat relieved. It made Conner let out a short chuckle.   
   
“I’m going to kiss you again.” He said before he had the chance to think whether it was a good idea of not. Tim blinked in surprise, but he didn’t seem put off by the statement.   
   
“Do you know why, this time?” He questioned.   
   
Conner shook his head. “No. I might understand it a little bit better, but I still have no clue what it is I’m understanding here.”   
   
“Fair enough.” Tim agreed. He leaned a bit closer, eyes half closing, and waited. Conner closed the rest of the distance between them and locked their lips together. Like their first kiss, this one was soft. But much less careful. It lacked the unsure air of not knowing why you’re doing what you’re doing, and Conner used this newfound confidence to move in even closer.  He placed his hands on both sides of Tim’s face, holding him there when he slipped his tongue out and licked Tim’s bottom lip. He could feel Tim gasping when he did so, prompting him to do it again, and again until the other’s lips parted and allowed him in. Tim’s mouth was warm, and sweet, and almost unexpectedly perfect for him. Conner didn’t want to let go, but he ended up doing so reluctantly. He rubbed his thumbs against Tim’s cheekbones when their lips parted. Staring at the other, it was almost too obvious, the way Tim was panting, and how nice his lips looked when wet.   
   
He had to firmly remind himself that now was not that time for that. Batman was supposed to be there soon, so… There’s that.   
   
“Fuck, Conner…” Tim huffed, voice a bit breathy.   
   
“I know, I know.” He murmured, “Now’s not the time.”  
   
But Tim shook his head slightly, pressing one hand against Conner’s chest. “Do that again.”   
   
He couldn’t decide what surprised him more, Tim’s words, or the way they found their way deep into his core. Stayed there and made his body move almost of its own as he yanked Tim’s face forward in order to kiss him again. This time. Tim’s lips met his open, and he wasted no time  slipping his tongue into his mouth. Now he pushed deeper, kissed just a little bit harder, and he was sure he heard the tiniest of moans escaping Tim’s mouth when he did. And fuck, it made his back shiver.  
With a few clumsy movements, he got up from the chair and sat on the edge of the bed, all without breaking the kiss. Tim moved with him, leaning closer now that the option was available. He was so warm it was difficult not to want more and more. For the second time, Conner forced himself to move and end the kiss. Ignoring the barely audible whimper of protest coming from Tim as he did.   
   
Now he was panting as well, and Tim was breathing even stronger that before. Still wordlessly, Conner moved his hands from Tim’s face to his hands. He grabbed them and intertwined their fingers together.   
   
“It’s going to be okay.” He breathed.   
   
“You are in no position to promise that.” Tim purred back at him, examining his face as his eyes turned from half lidded back to fully aware so quickly it was almost scary, and also really impressive.. “I’m the active hero here, and _I_ can’t promise that.”   
   
“Well, screw logic.” Conner huffed. “Nothing here makes sense anyway. I don’t care if I can’t, I’m promising it’s going to be okay.”  
   
“Fine.” Tim rolled his eyes, but smiled at that. They set there for a few minutes, relatively in silence. But it didn’t bother him, he actually kind of enjoyed it. Especially the way that, for once, Tim seemed calm, and not like he was thinking about three hundreds things at once. Something told him moments like this didn’t happen a lot, so he made sure to enjoy it while it lasts.    

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have you heard the good news? Tim will be officially coming back this September! Hurrah!

It was already passed midnight when Bruce- no- Batman arrived. As per usual, it was impossible to sense him before he wanted to.  And him just appearing in the room out of seemingly nowhere made Conner jump from his place on the edge of Tim’s bed. Conner spent the last few hours there, questioning Tim about his life as a superhero and absentmindedly caressing his hands from time to time. A gesture that Tim was sure did not escape the Bat. Now Conner was fumbling around, unsure whether to look at the looming figure in front of him or away from it.   
   
“I’m- Sir, Batman.” He mumbled, searching for words. It didn’t matter, however, because Batman wasn’t waiting for an introduction.   
   
“Wait outside the door.” He said, voice calm and calculated and demanding. Making sure with four words that no one is going to argue with him. Conner nodded quickly, turning around with quick steps towards the door. He glanced one last time back at Tim, as if to ask it it’s really okay. When Tim smiled and nodded, he left the room. With just the two of them left, Tim went back to look at Batman, examining him. To his disappointment, he couldn’t see anything through the cowl.   
   
“You could’ve been nicer to him, you know.” He ended up remarking. They both knew he could, it just didn’t seem like he wanted to.   
   
“You seem to be filling the ‘acting nice’ part.” Batman replied, and Tim straightened up just a little. It really didn’t surprise him that the Bat figure out something was happening, or that he was quick to analyze what it most likely was. However, he wasn’t ready for the other to comment on it so soon.   
   
“This…” He scratched the back of his head. “This is more of a Bruce talk than a Batman one, really.”   
   
“When you start telling him things, it becomes a Batman conversation as well.” The other answered. Tim sighed. So Steph talked, he couldn’t blame her really, but he still wished she would have kept quiet.   
   
“I trust him.”   
_Now_ he could feel Batman’s eyes on him from under the cowl.   
   
“Trust him enough to reveal you identity? To risk all of us?” Batman scoled. And it was just the start, the beginning of a long speech about how Tim is being reckless, how he’s endangering them. Tim could already hear it, the ‘ _maybe you’re still shaken and not ready to handle things_ ’ that was about to be said if he just waited long enough, ‘ _maybe you need some tighter supervision_ ’.  
And he wasn’t going to have any of that. He didn’t plan on getting to that subject so soon, but it looked like he didn’t have a chance.   
   
“He’s a Kent.”   
   
He could tell the Bat was cocking an eyebrow. “A Kent?”   
   
“As in _the_ Kents. A Kent from Smallville. Heck, maybe even an El. Yes Batman, a Kent.” He explained rather snappily. The Bat stood still for a moment, and then moved to stand closer to the bed.   
   
“How can you be so sure of that? Can he fly? Does he have Super strength?”  
   
Tim averted his eyes down towards the bed “No.”   
   
“And yet you are still convinced that you’re right.” Batman commented. “Why?”  
   
Tim let out a sigh before he started. “Look, I know I can’t explain it.” He explained. “But I am certain of this. I just… I know it, for a fact. It’s exactly like the time I knew you were alive. Or all those years ago, when I found out you were Batman. I feel the same type of certainty now like I felt in those times. You can test this if you want, run a DNA check on the Batcomputer and you’ll see what pops out.”    
   
After a long minute of silence, Batman pulled the chair and sat down. He examined Tim for a long, drawn out moment before speaking, finally just a little bit calmer than he was before.  
   
“And what if you’re wrong?” He asked.   
   
“I’m not wrong.” Tim shook his head. Usually, he loved having Batman around, but right now a part of him wished he’d just go away. The hours before he got here were so calm and quiet, and now there he is, forced again to try and explain himself without sounding crazy and failing. This was never a fun thing to do, and now it was even worse since so much was on the line. His life, Conner’s safety, who know’s what else.  
But for a moment, Batman seemed to just _get it_. He sighed, resting his elbows on his knees and joining his hands together. And for a moment he felt like Bruce. His persona slipping through the costume. Things like this happened from time to time, but Tim didn’t expect it to happen today.   
   
“Bruce…” He said softly. “Please, believe me. I didn’t go through all of this for nothing.”   
   
Bruce hummed quietly, a low, rumbling hum that turned almost seamlessly into a sigh. “Perhaps it’s time then, for you to tell me what it is exactly you went through. I believe I gave you leeway to cope with things, but this is obviously still affecting you, so I can’t turn a blind eye to it any longer.”    
   
Tim nodded, a barely noticeable gesture. Bruce’s request was one he could understand. And if he was honest, he already planned on telling him anyway. So he did. He started from the beginning, from waking up in a well lit, clean and empty room. Told him about waiting, about the conversations he had with his captor, which turned out to be a few different people. Explained how one day, out of nowhere, Conner answered his calls for help, and how he used Conner to reach out for Dick. Explained how he almost killed himself only for it to be useless because apparently they just opened the door anyway. Described the long hallways and the stairs and the large room. How every person looked almost exactly the same. He repeated almost word for word what they talked about there, and how one of them let him escape. Even told him about the attack in Conner’s apartment that happened yesterday.   
   
When he finally finished, a long few minutes after he started, Tim let out a deep breath, passing a hand through his black hair and looking at the other. It only just now occurred to him how much these guys were playing with him. It was hard to know how much of the last weeks was his choice, and how much was theirs. Bruce seemed as if he was deep in thought, one hand rubbing at the visible part of his face. Finally, he turned his head towards Tim and spoke.   
   
“How did you manage to piss off a Monitor.”    
   
Well, that was fast. He expected Bruce would be able to help, but not this quickly. “A what?”   
   
“A Monitor.” He explained. “They are powerful beings tasked with protecting the Multiverse, there’s one for each universe, and they usually gather together. They sound a little bit different than I remember, but I’m pretty sure this would still be the best guess as to who they are, considering what you’ve said.”   
   
“Okay.” Tim hummed, “That does explain why they were a group, and I guess part of what they said. But why would they act so disjointed?”   
   
“They try to make decisions in unison.” Bruce continued. “But such a thing takes time, so it does make sense some individuals will act on their own from time to time. I assume both the one who released you and the one who attacked you were such individuals.”  
   
“Oh.” Tim hummed, after not finding anything better to say. “Well I guess we can’t just punch him a little bit until he gives up.” He ended up murmuring. Maybe a tad bitterly.    
   
“No.” Bruce shook his head. “Monitors are incredibly powerful. If one of them is beyond talking with, we will most likely need help.” That probably meant all of this was pretty damn serious. Bruce, usually, wouldn’t suggest outside help so fast unless it was absolutely necessary. “If the Monitors are interested in you, it might be a bigger deal than you thought.” He continued, confirming Tim’s suspicions. Now he had no doubt that Bruce was extremely worried.   
   
“Well, good thing I have you then.” he offered a weary smile.   
   
Bruce nodded, and then got up. The moment was over, and he was back to being Batman again. “You’re coming back to the manor.” He said in a commanding voice. Tim straightened his back again, staring right into the other’s face.  
   
“Only if Conner’s coming with me.”   
   
“I’ll decide that.” Batman crossed his arms.  
   
“No.” Tim shook his head. “It’s all or nothing. Promise me. He’s staying at least until this clears out.”   
A long pause followed, and then Batman spoke again.   
   
“You really believe he’s that important to all of this?”  
   
“I already told you I do. But even if he isn’t, he’s important to me. That should be enough of a reason.” Tim nodded. “And please, don’t scare him too much now, okay?”   
   
“That.” Batman turned around and started walking towards the small door. His steps were heavy on the floor, and his black cape swished behind him as he went. “Is not entirely up to me.”   
And with that, he left, not even giving Tim time to reply, of to say goodbye, at the very least. He sighed one last time, and slowly leaned back until he was back to lying. He stared at the ceiling, trying to catch any noises coming from outside the room, but nothing really arrived to his ears. For what it’s worth, he thought this went... okay. Bruce seemed to cooperate, and now he had a name for the nameless being who was chasing him.   
   
A Monitor.   
Well, time to find out how to defeat a monitor. How hard can this get?   
   
He almost laughed at himself.  

 

\----

   
All of the Waynes Conner met so far were impressive in their own ways. Batman was as well, but in a completely different, piss-your-pants kind of way. Just seeing him appear in the room out of nowhere, when he least expected it, was terrifying. Even now, long minutes after he was sent to stand alone in the small corridor, he was slightly shaken.   
A scary man, was the Batman. Conner could totally get the reputation he had, and that was only after a few seconds of seeing him.    
   
As the minutes drew longer and longer, he started wondering what was happening inside that room. Sure, it made sense they had a lot to talk about, but he wanted to know some of it as well. He deserved at least some of it, right? After all he’s been through in the last days, knowing what’s going on wasn’t too much to ask. He hoped Batman wasn’t hard on Tim. From his point of view Tim didn’t deserve that, he was wounded, and probably tired. Maybe after the Bat will leave he’ll go back in and make sure Tim goes to sleep.   
Of course, assuming Batman would even let him go back in.   
   
It wasn’t a completely unreasonable thought, and from the moment it spurred in his mind it was hard not to get carried away by it. He could feel slight anger rushing through him. So what if Batman’s scary? and very possibly Tim’s father? He can’t tell him what to do. Conner furrowed his eyebrows, slightly pouting. When the door opened and he met Batman for a second time, he was prepared for an argument.  
   
“Batman, sir.” He started, this time not as jumpy, and turned to look at the looming figure next to him. “I just want you to know that no matter what you say, you can’t convince me to leave right now. I’m going to stay with Tim until this whole thing ends.” The words came out of his mouth so fast, almost as if he was scared otherwise he'll lose courage halfway through the sentence.    
He didn’t expect Batman to just calmly inspect him and nod. “Very well.”   
   
“Wait- really?” Conner couldn’t hide his surprise, but Batman already continued.   
   
“In one condition.”   
   
“And what’s that?” He questioned.   
   
“You’re going to come with me to an open room here right now and provide me with hair, spit, and blood samples.”   
Conner flinched and took a step back. That seemed excessive, why did he need all that? Batman seemed to notice his reaction, because he explained. “It’s for a DNA test.”   
   
“But isn’t just one of these things enough?” Conner wondered. He didn’t really know, but at least based on television and stuff, that’s what they said.   
   
“I’d like to be very, very certain.” Batman didn’t wait before passing him and heading for an empty room, and Conner found himself following. Why would they need his DNA? Why would he want to test it? He could guess this had something to do with what Tim had told him before. But still, a part of him felt like it was Tim’s story, and not his. And is there a certain someone they think he’s related to? So many questions kept popping in his head. Still deep in thought, he went into a room and sat on a small, medical bed. It’s not like he had a choice, not if he wanted to stay.  
   
“Are you going to tell me why my DNA is important?” He wondered.   
   
“What makes you think it’s important?” Batman shot back quickly and with a harsh tone, and Conner couldn’t really find an answer.   
   
“I...I guess if you take it-” He mumbled, fumbling around a little as the Batman searched the drawers and took out a blood test kit. “Then it must be, right?”     
   
“You can look at it like that if you want to.” It didn’t look like Batman was going to give him any information. Pretty quickly, it detoured him from asking any more questions. He just sat there and watched as the man in front of him prepared everything he needed. He squirmed a little as he felt the pinch of the needle, and shortly after that Batman was already closing a small tube filled with his blood. It was pretty impressive, he thought. The fact that he just knew how to do it. Somewhat more impressive than just seeing him beat some criminals, as this was something you already guessed he could do. After he finished with the blood test, he asked Conner to spit into a small cup, and took a hair sample from him and placed it inside a plastic bag. The other two were much quicker, so they were done just like that.    
   
“Is that it?” Conner allowed himself to ask again after all three samples were stored inside Batman’s belt. Well, it was weird, but it wasn’t as bad as he expected. “Or do you need anything else?”  
   
Batman shook his head. “I just need you not to do anything stupid.”   
   
Conner gulped, and then nodded. “Yes sir.” He jumped back on his feet. But before he had the chance to leave the room, Batman talked again.   
“One more thing.”   
   
“Yes?” Conner wondered.   
   
“I’m watching you. If you put him in danger, I will make you pay.”  
   
And he thought they were doing okay. Conner nodded, feeling a chill going through his back as he left- maybe slightly escaped- the room. One wrong move and he has an angry, scary vigilante to answer to. Wasn’t that relaxing? It made sense for him to say it, but that fact didn’t make it any nicer. Before he even had the ability to fully process all of this, Batman was already nowhere to be seen. With nothing else to do, he walked back to the room Tim was in.   
   
Tim. Who was still lying on his bed. He seemed tired, and concerned, but fully awake. The moment Conner entered, he pulled himself up to a sitting position, his blue eyes already scanning.   
“...So that was piss worthy scary.” Conner joked, offering a weary smile. Tim chuckled a little and shook his head.  
   
“I’m sorry, I tried to tell him to go easy on you.” He gently patted on the edge on his bed, and Conner moved in to take back the seat he had before they were interrupted.  
   
“I think he tried.” Conner shrugged, “Maybe just a little bit. I don’t know, I’m still in one piece?” Tim smiled again and huffed.   
   
“Well, I tried.”   
For a moment, Conner considered asking Tim about this whole dna thing as well. He thought that probably, Tim will give him a better answer, will cooperate more. But he didn’t say anything. Because behind his always thinking blue eyes, Tim looked so tired. And Conner just knew that he would hold himself awake as long as Conner asked for him to do so. He didn’t want that at all. So instead, Conner raised one hand, gently cupping Tim’s cheek with it.   
   
“Hey, we’ll talk more tomorrow.” He offered. He didn’t expect Tim to lean in and wrap his arms around him in a hug. “Are you okay?” He wondered, gently patting Tim’s shoulder.   
   
“It was a long day.” Tim hummed.   
   
“I know.” Conner smiled, wrapping his hands back around Tim and squeezing him a little until he heard the other letting out a short laugh.   
   
“Stop. you’re crushing me.” He jokingly protested. That only made Conner squeeze tighter, leaning back slightly so that Tim could rest against him.   
   
“I’ll only stop if you go to sleep.” Conner offered with a grin on his face.   
   
“Fine.” Tim leaned just slightly into the touch, resting his cheek on Conner’s chest. “But only if you’re sleeping with me.”   
   
“Sure.” Conner chuckled, gently pushing Tim back down and climbing on the bed to lie next to him. This bed was even smaller than his, but that only meant that when they settled in to lying there, Tim’s body was pressing against his. It was warm, and it felt nice, and for a moment he didn’t really care for the rest. “I’m already used to it.”  

 

\----

   
Walking into the Batcave for the first time since he was captured and came back was weirder than he thought. It’s not like it felt unnatural, on the contrary, it was like going back home. Maybe that’s what made it so bizarre. It almost looked like in this place, he never left. Tim came down here almost as soon as they got to the manor. He made sure Conner was settled, checked his bandages one more time, and then went down the secret stairs that led him here. He still wore regular clothes, the costume will wait for another time.  
Bruce was there, but more surprisingly, Dick was there as well. He turned around the moment he heard Tim’s steps going into the main room of the Batcave, a smile on his face.   
   
“Hey.”   
   
“Hey.” Tim offered an unsure smile. “What are you doing here?”   
   
“Working on a case.” He shrugged. “Visiting my little brother, you decide.” He moved closer, and placed his arm over Tim’s shoulder. Gently, he directed both of them towards the computer, where Bruce was sitting. Tim ran his eyes on the screens. There was so much information running there, but a quick scan told him none of it was what he needed.   
   
“Do you have the DNA results?” He asked after giving up on the search.   
  
“Not yet.” Bruce, not even bothering to get up or turn his eyes away from the computer, explained. “I only started to run diagnosis not too long ago.” It made sense. If he was honest, this was terribly early for him. Bruce was the definition of a night owl, he spent most of the nights awake, and most of his mornings and early noons sleeping. Tim knew that very well, as this was a habit he himself picked up.   
Which only made the fact both of them were here right now, at the cave, weirder. Tim hummed quietly, moving his eyes between them. Maybe he was paranoid, maybe he was still hurt, but he couldn’t shake the feeling they were there because of him. To stop him from doing anything restless.   
   
He held back a sigh, turning his eyes to Bruce. “Anything on the monitors?”   
   
“Not anything new.” Bruce shook his head, glancing at him for just a moment before going back to his computer.  
   
“And how long until we have the DNA results?” He continued pressing.   
  
“Hey how about,” Dick interrupted the conversation, trying to stop the tension from going up. “We go up to eat something and let the computers run alone for a little? I’ll make pancakes.”   
   
“Food can wait.” Tim shook his head. “And I’ve already tried your pancakes.”   
   
“Well, of course it can. And don’t be rude.” Dick shook his head with a soft breath, finally moving his arm from around Tim. “But us standing here wouldn’t make it go faster, Timmy.”   
   
“You both really are here to babysit me, aren’t you.” Tim murmured, cocking up an eyebrow. He was ready for Dick to deny it, but Bruce already stood up.   
   
“Of course we are.” He said. “You would’ve gone down here by yourself, wouldn’t you?”   
   
“Well, yeah-” Tim started, but Bruce stopped him.   
   
“After you already established you can’t be alone for a long period of time. And if a monitor would’ve shown up here?”   
Tim stopped, he had no answer to that. Maybe he really was too eager, so sure he was right he couldn’t even wait. For a sliver of a moment, he even forgot about the fact he can’t really be by himself right now. Not until this whole thing ends. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a long moment before saying.   
   
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”  
   
“I know I’m right.” Bruce was relentless, barely nodding before he moved to check on some other things away from the main computer. Tim followed him with his eyes before saying.   
   
“You didn’t have to drag Dick all the way here for this.”   
   
“Actually, I wanted to come.” Dick’s grin was bright and wide. “You know, last time you left pretty… abruptly. So I wanted to be here when you come back. My choice. No one dragged me.”   
   
Tim looked at him for a moment before allowing a smile, “Thanks.” He nodded.   
   
Dick just shrugged. “Now, are you going to tell me what’s going on between you and that Conner?”  
   
“Not if you’ll be so blunt about it.” Tim chuckled. It was nice, actually. Being here, joking with Dick as they watched Bruce working on whatever it was, usually three cases at once. He didn’t have a long time to contemplate, because Bruce cut their conversation before it barely began.   
   
“We have the results.”   
Tim straightened in his place, eyes shooting straight to Batman.   
   
“Well?” He wondered.   
   
Bruce pressed on a few buttons, and the answer was displayed clearly, with bright letters, on the big screen. “You we’re right. It’s a match.”   
He knew it. Tim bit at his lower lip, eyes blankly staring at the screen. But even though he was so sure, getting the confirmation hit. Not because he was right, but because he suddenly realized something. He thought it was all revolving around him, but in reality, he was just a player. This wasn’t his story, it was Conner’s.   
   
“So what are we doing now?” He wondered out loud, eyes not moving from the screen even as he heard Bruce’s answer.   
 

“We call Clark.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I took some liberties with "updating" the monitors for this fic. It's not too far from the canon but I still changed some stuff to my liking.


	10. Chapter 10

Conner didn’t mind going back to the manor, at least not at the beginning. Sure, it was a weird place, and he will probably always feel just a little bit out of place here. A fact that became more apparent now that he knew he will probably stay here for more than a few hours. You couldn’t really blame him for not liking this place that was shrouded with half truths and lies. As much as it was beautiful and grand, it almost felt like every single person here has a secret. He told himself that it’s fine, because he came here for Tim Drake. But the other disappeared shortly after they got here and left him alone to ponder.   
  
When Tim finally came back, it was late in the afternoon. The large room was already colored orange and red by the setting sun, drawing out the shadows, making all seem somber and quiet. So much so he almost forget everything was more or less a mess.  
That is, until He saw the look on the other’s face. Tim looked like he carried the whole world on his shoulders. A look Conner started to realize was probably a common expression for him to have. He looked somewhat tired, but also analyzing and deep in thought, and Conner couldn’t help but wondering what happened during the time he was away. Because he sure as hell looked like something happened.  
  
“So, any news?” Conner tried to sound jokey and lighthearted, but even to him he sounded a little pressing. “Good ones? Bad ones? Something?”  
  
“Something alright.” Tim muttered quietly, but then shook his head and turned to look at Conner. “Forget it. I’ll tell you later.” He moved to lean against the edge of the table, pushing back some old notebooks as he did.   
  
“Tell me… When?” Conner wondered, tilting his head to one side. He wasn’t really in a hurry to get up from his place on the Bed. It wasn’t a huge room, so Tim was close enough. Close enough for him to see the cogs rolling behind Tim’s eyes before the other shrugged.   
  
“I don’t know. Soon probably”   
He stared at Tim. A part of him wondered if he should give up again and let the other rest. But he didn’t. Instead he asked.   
“Why not now?”   
  
Tim let out a heavy sigh, leaning lower against the table for a moment before he straightened up again.   
“Okay, now.” He nodded, eyes fluttering around before he turned his look back at Conner. “Can I ask you something first?”   
  
“Sure.” Conner nodded. He couldn’t help but feel like the air was turning heavier and heavier by the moment. But he tried to ignore the feeling as he kicked gently against the bed.   
  
“Your orphanage… What was it’s name?” Tim wondered, and Conner couldn’t help but be surprised. _That’s_ what it was all about?  
  
“Ah, that’s easy.” He smiled. “It’s um… uh…” His smiled made its way to the furrowing of eyebrows, smallest nod of the head as he tried to think of the name. It had probably just slipped his mind, right? “Wait I… I don’t remember.” He mumbled, letting out a short breath before he forced himself to smile again. “Weird right? It’s probably because I wasn’t there for so long?”  He half said so half asked the other, that was normal, right? Not to remember the name of the place where you lived all your life. Maybe he just need another minute.  
But the more he tried to dig deeper into his own memories, the more it started to bother him. Why can’t he remember the name? Or the address? Or the way the house looked like? Or any of the specifics, for that matter. He never gave any weight to the fact he didn’t really remember any of the kids. But now that he thought about it. It wasn’t just ‘ _like_ ’ he never existed before where he was right now. He honest to god tried to look back at his past only to see a blurred image, and none of the details were in place.   
  
“Fuck… I Don’t know” He mumbled, voice barely over a whisper. He probably looked really bothered, because Tim moved quickly from his place at the table. He closed the distance between them, placing both his hands on Conner’s cheeks.   
  
“It’s okay. It makes perfect sense.” He promised. “That’s actually what I thought will happen.”  
  
“It’s because of those guys?” Conner wondered, sighing as he gave in to the touch on his face. “How much did they take?”   
  
“A lot, probably.” Tim said quietly. He pressed his fingers a little against Conner’s skin, and then moved them up to pass through his hair. It was relaxing, and Conner hummed slightly at the touch, eyes half closing. Only for the moment to be broken the moment Tim spoke again.   
“We got the results from your DNA test.”   
  
Conner’s eyes immediately shot up to Tim’s face. “And?”   
  
He watched as Tim’s pupils were darting a little back and forth, obviously trying to think how to lay down the answer for Conner in a way that wouldn’t be too shocking.   
“Seems like your DNA… matches Superman’s.”   
  
It really didn’t work for him, that ‘trying to lay it easy’ thing. Conner could feel his heart stopping for a second. Then he got up, shooting himself up to a straightened position so quickly he almost made Tim fall back in surprise.   
“I’m… what?”   
  
“I know it might be hard to believe-” Tim started, but Conner shook his head and cut him off.  
  
“No, it’s not ‘hard to believe’, it’s unbelievable.”   
  
“Conner…” Tim sighed, following him with his eyes as Conner made his way towards the door with rushed steps.   
  
“I just need some air.” He muttered as he went out. Before the door even closed behind him, he could hear Tim’s steps as he followed. He guessed that if Tim really wanted to catch up to him, he could’ve already. But still, he hurried his steps.  
  
“Conner!” Tim tried again, this time calling after him. “Please don’t freak out.”   
  
“Not freak-” He started, but stopped mid-word and shook his head, hurrying his steps just a tad more. “How am I supposed not to freak out? You’re telling me all this crazy things about your life, any other person will be out the door by the first day of this whole mess. But not me, I’m still here, believing you through all of this because it’s your life. But then you come here and say that… what, everything _I_ know is a lie? And I should just take it?!”  
  
“I’m sorry!” Tim called behind him. For a moment he thought Tim might sounded a bit strained, but that couldn’t be true. “But _this_ isn’t a lie.”  
  
“I didn’t say you’re lying! I just need some fresh air!” He called back, maybe a little too loud. Maybe someone else would hear, maybe not. Maybe he was just panicking. It was just that… What is he supposed to take out of this? Is he a superhero? Is he… is he an alien? Isn’t Superman an alien? That only made sense then that he would be as well. Oh god… Just thinking about it made his head hurt.   
Finally, the large doors that led to the back garden were in front of him. He pushed one, maybe a little too strongly, and got out to the lavish back garden. He took a long breath that almost burned in his lungs. For a few minutes it was almost completely silent. Just him and the cold air of the darkening evening. And then he heard the doors open again, and more quick yet careful steps that he could already recognize. Tim stopped a little behind him, keeping a safe distance before he talked.   
  
“I shouldn’t have said anything.”   
  
Conner sighed, shaking his head slowly. “No… it’s fine. I’m glad you didn’t keep it a secret.” He turned to look at Tim, who seemed honestly relieved at the eye contact. “But there must have been a mistake.”   
  
“No.” Tim shook his head. “We’ve made sure. It checks.”   
  
“So what I’m… Am I not human?” Conner clenched his jaw for a moment before shrugging, almost desperately. “Is nothing that I know real?”   
  
“No, no.” Tim finally stepped forward again, until he was close enough to wrap his arms around Conner. “Maybe you’re memories are fake right now but… trust me. We’ll find the real ones, okay?”   
  
He wanted to say okay, but the word was left hanging in his throat, refusing to go out. So he just stood there, silently, and let Tim hold him. Let their eyes cross each other’s, and relish in the reassuring smile that Tim gave him.   
He wished this would be enough. But he wasn’t sure it was.   
“Then what am I supposed to do now?” He ended up saying.   
  
“I don’t know.” Tim hummed. “Try and talk to Superman about that?”   
  
Conner let out a bitter laugh. “And how am I supposed to get to him exactly?”   
  
“Well, he’s right there.” Tim pointed behind them and up towards the sky. Conner turned just in time to see the red and blue figure in the sky, slowly lowering until the man himself landed before them. He could feel his eyes widening in surprise. This was awe inspiring, to say the least. Superman almost looked as if he was glowing. Everything about him just seemed larger than life, but unlike Batman, he still looked approachable, even welcoming. Conner felt like maybe he should say something, but nothing came out. His mouth just hung open as he stood there, starring. He barely even reacted when Tim moved his arms away and took a step back.  
  
And then, just like that Superman talked.   
“Hey Tim. Good to have you back.”   
  
“Good to be back.” Tim nodded, the grin on his face warm, and maybe a little embarrassed. He moved his eyes between Conner and Superman, seemingly deciding that yes, they did in fact look alike.   
  
“Can you give us a moment or two and wait inside?” Superman spoke again.   
  
“Sure.” Tim reached out and squeezed Conner’s arm. “I’ll wait in my room.” He murmured, and then he left. The doors opened and closed behind them, and Conner was left alone. Well, not alone. Alone with Superman. Which was definitely a lot weirder.   
  
“A- um…” Conner mumbled, forcing himself to finally look away from the other once he felt he was staring for too long. But Superman reached forward to shake his hand, a calming smile on his face.   
  
“Conner, right?” He asked. “You can just call me Kal.”   
  
“O-oh…” Still not sure how to form words, Conner nodded and shook Superman’s- no, Kal’s hand. “Kal… okay.”   
  
“A strong handshake. That’s a good start” Kal smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.”   
This felt surreal. A part of him was still unsure he was really here, having this one on one conversation. Maybe he’s just hallucinating.   
  
“So you… Um…” He tried to search for the words, his eyes moving back and forth between the ground and the other. “Do you... remember me?”   
  
The smile on Kal’s face turned somber. “I don’t. Sorry.”  
  
“But, you came all the way here for me right? Why?” Conner tried again. “I mean, I guess it was for that.”    
  
“I came here because Batman _rarely_ asks me for help without it being serious and if he’s absolutely sure he needs me here. And if he’s sure you and I are related, I’m sure of that as well.” Kal explained. That seemed… reasonable. “Look, I’m sorry I can’t remember you. Trust me, it pains me as well, even if not as much as it pains you. But that doesn’t mean anything. We’re all victims here, and you especially. We’ll get this thing solved.”   
  
“That’s… very diplomatic of you.” Conner shrugged, a short chuckle escaping his lips. “Guess Superman can’t really just say ‘sucks to be you’, eh?”   
  
“Well, there is nothing that stops me from saying the word ‘suck’, or any other curse word for that matter.” Kal said, cracking a smile. Seeing him joking just made it even weirder, and it made Conner snicker. “But truly, I don’t think it sucks to be you.”  
  
“You don’t?” Conner arched his eyebrows in an unbelieving gesture. “My whole life. Everything is one big fucking lie. I don’t even know what’s real anymore.”   
  
“Well, I don’t know myself.” Kal nodded. “But you seem like a good guy. You’re young, healthy. Life is ahead of you. So I don’t think everything is a lie.”  
  
“I guess.” Conner didn’t seem convinced, so Kal crossed his arms and stepped forward.  
  
“I’ll tell you what. After this whole thing is resolved, and our connections are clear. I can take you to meet my family. Create some real memories. How does that sound?”  
  
“That… that would be nice.” Conner admitted, scratching the back of his neck. “Where do you live?”   
  
“In a farm in Hamilton County, actually.” Kal answered, his smile warm and inviting. Conner was surprise, he expected the answer to be Metropolis, but...  
  
“Really? You live in a farm?” That almost seemed unbelievable to him. “I always wanted to visit a farm!”   
  
“That’s great!” Kal placed one hand on his shoulder. “I promise I’ll bring you in for a visit, then.” That was undeniably nice to hear. Even if his past wasn’t real, he Had that to wait for. And it wasn’t even exciting because it was Superman, but because it was him sitting someplace real, with a real family. Maybe even his own family, something he never had before. How could he not look forward to it? Then, Kal spoke again, cutting his line of thought.   
“Besides, you don’t have to wait until then for real memories. I’m pretty sure you already have one thing in your life that isn’t a lie.”    
  
“I do?” Conner wondered.   
  
Kal smiled. “That guy really did everything he could, from the moment he thought he could help you. You’ve made a really good friend for yourself.”   
Ah, yes. He really did find something important when he met Tim, didn’t he? It wasn’t hard for him to realize that’s what the other was talking about, which made it even more obvious for him how right Kal was. Conner could feel the the blush rising to his cheeks, thank god it was already pretty dark.   
  
“Yeah I… He really did.” He nodded, looking at the ground for a moment before he turned to look back at the other. “Thanks. That… actually helped a lot. I’m gonna go now, if that’s okay with you.”  
  
“Sure thing.” Kal patted his back for a moment before leaving him. He waited there and watched Conner turn around and go back into the house. It wasn’t like this solved everything, far from it. But he no longer felt like he was spiralling into a dark pit, and right now that was a big improvement. In this sea of fakeness, he at least had some things he could say are real. Some things to look forward to, and some things to live for. He moved quickly through the decorated hallways, breezing next to framed art pieces and portraits. He only stopped once he opened the wooden door to Tim’s room.   
  
Tim, for a sliver of a moment, looked nervous. But the worried expression made it’s way for a smile once he saw Conner.   
“Well, you look better.” He said, his voice making it clear how relieved he was.   
  
“I feel better.” Conner let the door close behind him as he got into the room, pulling Tim close to him and placing both his hands on both sides of the other’s face, just like Tim did for him earlier. “And I’m going to kiss you, again.”   
  
He wasn’t really surprised when Tim’s answer was “Do you know why this time?”  
  
“Yes.” Conner answered, but this he had to let out a sigh and shake his head. “No.” Still, he leaned forward, gently pressing his lips against the other’s “I don’t know, it doesn’t matter.” And really, it didn’t seem to matter at all, because Tim kissed him back right after. And his hands rose up and tugged at Conner’s shirt. He didn’t need any reason other than that small, sweet and almost desperate moan that Tim made when he slipped his tongue his mouth. Feeling the warmth basically spilling off of the other and right into him.   
  
“Tim.” He panted against him, hand passing through the other's hair. “Can I-?”   
But Tim didn’t even let him finish, just grabbed his hand and led him towards the bed, sitting down on it and inviting him down for another kiss. And at that moment, absolutely nothing mattered. His tongue immediately got back to searching inside Tim’s mouth, drawing out another moan. He felt like his hands almost moved on their own, caressing Tim’s face, his neck, slowly slipping down until they grabbed the hem of his shirt.   
  
“Can I take it off?” He asked, voice barely over a whisper, and Tim’s breath felt warm on his lips.   
  
“Are you going to ask permission for everything?”   
  
“Maybe.” Conner admitted.  
  
“Don’t then.” And with that Tim reached down himself, taking off his own shirt. Conner couldn’t help but focus right on his scars the moment those got revealed. He leaned in, pressing his lips against every mark he could reach. Nothing was more real right now than Tim. Tim’s skin, the way his scars and muscles felt against Conner’s lips, the smell of his sweat, the tender noises he made with every kiss. It was all so real it almost made him go crazy right there and then. Tim’s fingers running through his short hair, gently scratching and his nape. Conner moved back just enough to take his own shirt off, and then went right back in for the touch. He wasn’t sure if this was desperation, or revelation, that made him want this oh so much. But he felt it inside his stomach, the knowing he wouldn’t be able to stop.   
  
“Are you sure?” He forced himself to ask one last time, straightening his back so that he could stare right into Tim’s eyes. Those beautiful, blue eyes that he got so used to in the last few days. Eyes that felt like they just knew him, for who he _really_ was. And those eyes were smiling at him right now, bright with confidence that was almost commending.   
  
“Yes Conner.” He hummed, pulling Conner after him until they both laid on the bed. “I’m sure.”   
  
He never felt more alive than he did at that hour, with Tim lying down below him, moaning and panting with each thrust Conner made inside of him. Skin rubbing against skin as he laid there, resting on one elbow so that he won’t crush the other, feeling Tim’s naked body against his own. It was mind blowing how hot and sweaty and amazing he felt. Kon’s other hand stroked Tim’s thigh slowly, lifting it up and folding it before moving to his grown. He made sure to look, study every reaction Tim had as he curved his fingers around Tim’s dick. Because whatever happens next he just knew, knew that this was a moment he wanted to burn into his mind.   
  
Tim’s hands slipped against his back, creating small red marks as they moved. He bucked his hips forward, squeezing away the little bit of air that was still between them, and Conner cried out in response. He pushed in harder, hand moving at a fastening pace, and leaned down to grab another kiss. He wasn’t sure what it was for them, because it felt both strange and familiar at the same time. Maybe that’s why it was so exhilarating when Tim came with sticky waves right into his hand. He himself came almost right after, burying the loud sounds he made in another wet kiss shared between them.   
  
When the whole thing was over, he slipped out carefully, lying next to the other and moving some hairs away from his face. He had so many questions. What are they exactly? What did doing this mean for them? What’s going to happen next? To them as a unit, and to each of them on his own? Are they going to make it? So many questions and he wasn’t even sure what to ask first.   
At the end, he decided on none of them, opting instead to pull the thick blanket on top of them and then gently turning Tim on his side to that he could slip behind him until his body matched perfectly along the other. He could hear Tim hum once more.   
  
“What’s that?” He asked, voice just a smidgen more than a whisper, as he put one arm over the other, hugging him tight.   
  
Tim sighed, a heavy sigh. One that almost filled the entire room, tearing away at the fuzzy feeling of afterglow. After a moment that felt like forever, he murmured.  
“I have a plan.”   


	11. Chapter 11

“Hey, wake up.” Tim’s voice interrupted his sleep in what seemed like way too early in the morning to get up after the night they had. Conner grunted, rubbing the bottom side of his palms against his eyes as he turned around in bed.   
  
“What time is it?” He asked and begrudgingly opened his eyes. The curtains were pulled open, allowing some gloomy morning light into the room. Tim stood next to the bed, looking down at Conner. He was already fully dressed, and looked as if he was awake for a while now.   
  
“A little before seven.” He explained, and reached down to nudge at Conner’s arm, “Come on, don’t go back to sleep on me.”  
  
“Seven?” Conner squinted, almost closing his eyes before Tim shoved him again.   
  
“Come on, wake up. We need to move.” Tim urged. As sleep slowly but surely left him, Conner noted to himself that Tim looked somewhat nervous.  
  
“What’s the pressure?” He mumbled, pushing himself up to lean on his elbows. “Where are we going?”   
  
“Away.” Was Tim’s short answer. He seemed satisfied with Conner’s waking and got back to walk around the room, shoving some things into a small backpack. He stopped only to throw some of Conner’s clothes onto the bed. “It’s not safe here.”   
  
“It’s not- what!?” That finally got him to fully wake up, shooting straight up to sit on the bed. “Is there any place you think is safer than the place that has _ Batman and Superman _ ?” He looked at Tim as if the other was crazy. Which right now, didn’t seem too far from the truth.   
  
“I didn’t mean safe for us.” Tim sighed and shook his head. “I meant safe for _ them _ . As long as we’re here they’ll be in danger. And I don’t want to put my family in danger. We have to go.”   
  
“I…” Conner hesitated. “I still fail to see the logic in it. Sorry but they’re not street level superheroes. It’s two of the strongest people in the world and you think we’ll be better off on our own?”   
  
Finally, Tim stopped scrambling around. He turned to look at Conner with heavy eyes, holding back a deep sigh when he spoke.   
“Look, I have a plan, and that plan means we have to get out of here. So you have to trust me, or I’m going by myself.”    
  
Well, he didn’t really give him any choice right there. Conner took a deep breath and picked up his clothes.   
“Fine, I’ll go with you.” He put on his shirt before adding. “Doesn’t mean I think it’s a good idea.”   
Because it wasn’t. It was practically suicidal. So far Tim always seemed at least somewhat logical in all this madness, but right now it was hard to believe he knew what he was doing. Tim probably felt Conner’s concern, because he moved closer and planted a soft kiss on his lips.   
  
“It’s going to be okay.” He promised quietly.   
  
“I sure hope so.” Conner couldn’t say that was enough to calm him down. But he followed Tim so far, so he will follow him today as well.   
  
The morning air was cold, pulling icy breaths out of their mouths as they walked. It was gray, even when there weren’t many clouds in the sky the sun wasn’t showing. Maybe the sun did the smart things and stayed home. Conner shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket, giving one last look at the manor behind them. It was quiet, not even the butler seemed to notice them leaving. Maybe that’s why Tim wanted to leave so early, to avoid the voices telling him to stay put.    
  
“You okay?” Tim wondered, looking behind his shoulder at Conner. “You still look worried.”   
  
“Of course I’m worried.” Conner shrugged. “Can’t you at least tell me your plan? That would definitely calm me down.”    
  
“I…well, don’t panic.” Tim gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m going to fight this guy head on.”  
  
Conner just stared at the other for a moment, eyes wide. “How am I supposed to not panic? You’re going to fight? Alone?”   
  
“Yes.” Tim nodded. “And you’re going to have to trust me on this.”      
  
“I… I am.” He promised. “Well, sort of. As much as I can.”   
  
Tim nodded, passing a hand through his black hair. “That’s enough for me.”   
They kept walking into the woods surrounding the manor. Tim avoided walking on the road that led to the city, instead choosing to go in quieter, emptier routes. Were they just playing bait? But if so, Tim could just tell him. So maybe Tim just wanted a safe empty place for a fight. Deciding not to think about it, he looked around him.  
  
“This will be a nice place for a picnic, you know?” He commented casually, trying to get a conversation rolling and distract himself. “Not right now, it's too cold, but maybe by the time spring arrives.”   
  
“We’ll go.” Tim turned to look at him and smiled. “If you want to, I don't mind.”  
  
“That will be fun.” Conner allowed himself a grin as their eyes crossed. He wasn't sure whether he’s smiling to calm himself or the other. Maybe both of them, even as the conversation strayed to lighter topics, the air around them was still tense.  
  
“Maybe in Metropolis.” Tim nodded. “The weather there is better than in Gotham.”   
  
“...You know. Maybe we should go back. This doesn’t feel right.” Conner rubbed the back of his head.   
  
Tim sighed, “Conner, we can’t. I already told you what I’m planning.”  
  
“Mind telling me as well then? Because so far, your plan doesn't seem brilliant, Timothy.” A third voice interrupted them just before Conner had the chance to answer. The man that appeared between the trees seemed familiar. It took Conner another moment to realize he’s seen him before, even if just for a sliver of a moment.  
  
“You’re the guy that crashed our car!” He called, and the man turned to look at him, cold and unwavering.  
  
“Smart boy, aren’t you?” He mocked him, and Conner could feel his blood boil. He could feel Tim placing a careful hand on his arm, wordlessly telling him to calm down. But still, he blurted out.   
  
“Why?”   
  
“Ah, you see.” The man started. “I have decided that killing both of you would be necessary, and that seemed like a reasonable and easy way to get rid of two fragile humans.” He crossed his arms and sighed deeply. “Sadly, both of you are alive, so I came here to finish the job now.”  
Conner blinked, head empty for a moment. He planned on killing  _ both _ of them? It never occurred to him, before, that this was the plan. But next to him, Tim didn’t seem at all surprised.   
  
“Conner.” He muttered quietly under his breath. His hand moved, pulling a small stick out of his belt. With a quick shake of the hand, the stick opened into a full fledged bo staff. If they weren’t in a life or death situation, it might have been impressive. “I need you to do me a favor. Stay back, away from him. Let me handle it, and keep safe. Okay?”   
  
“I-” Conner started. He wanted to help, somehow. But Tim didn’t seem like he’ll let him, so instead he just nodded, “Okay.”   
  
“Good.” Tim focused back on the stranger, dropping his backpack down on the ground before he stepped forward. “I thought you’re here for me.” He said, loud this time, clear and confidant, obviously trying to get the man’s attention back to him, and he succeeded. “Well, I’m ready for you this time.”   
Without another word, they leaped at each other. 

 

\----

 

There he was, jumping into a fight he had no chance of winning. It wasn’t the first time he walked into a fight knowing he can’t win it. In fact, Tim was oddly familiar with the situation. You’d think he’d be smart enough to find ways and avoid battles such as this. But he didn’t do so in all the other times and he didn’t do so now.   
  
Because really, no matter how he thought about it, he had no other choice. He could try and wait around. See if someone else comes up with a plan. But living in fear wasn’t an option. He knew he had to end this.   
  
Tim ducked down, dangerously close to the Monitor’s hand reaching to grab him, and felt sharp pain at the side of his body. It wouldn’t take long before the wound he has from their previous encounter will open. Maybe a few minutes, no more than that. The Monitor seemed to know that, because he directed his next swing at that area, and Tim had to lean on his staff and use it to flip away from him. Landing in what seemed like a safe distance.   
  
Less than a few minutes of this being a fair fight, then he’s bleeding again. It’s fine. He didn’t need to win, not right now.    
Another swift hit coming towards him from above. Tim lifted the stuff above his head to stop it, hearing the metal hit against the Monitor’s gloves. From the corner of his eyes he saw Conner, not too far away, but safe. He probably made a mistake, bringing him here. But still, there he was. And now Tim has to protect him.   
  
So maybe he doesn’t have to win, but he can’t lose either.   
  
“You’re not focusing.” The man commented with a sly tone. “You’d think if this was your last battle, you would give it your full attention at the very least.”  
  
Tim broke the hold off and pushed the Monitor back. Another sharp movement and another strong pain. He breathed in a pained growl.   
“You’d be surprised, but this isn’t the first time I heard a bad guy promising me I’m going to die. And they all seemed very sure of themselves.” The man responded with a fast kick, dropping Tim down to the ground a few feet back. That was painful. Probably looked painful as well, because he could hear Conner gasping. Tim reached out, motioning Conner to stay back. Before he had the chance to get up on his feet the Monitor was hovering above him, swinging down. Tim rolled quickly to the side. Pulling out a small disk from his belt and throwing it at the other. It bumped right off of the Monitor’s arm, but it gave Tim enough time to stand.   
  
He was barely holding his own, already panting and covered in dirt. But it was alright. He didn’t need to win. He just needed a few more minutes. Just a little bit more, and it will be fine. But he probably had less than one minute before the cracks will start showing. Before he’ll leave an opening, or miss something, or the wound will open and end it for him. But he can try and push himself beyond that.  
Just… a little more. That was all he needed. Just a tiny bit more.  
  
He didn’t have more. The next time he evaded a hit, Tim ended up landing badly. Just a moment too slow, and already there was a hand ripping at his side, reopening the wound. Blood was spilling down his body and leg, slick and warm. It dropped on the ground, bright red dots so clear on the green surface. Tim had to hold down a wail, but still gasped in pain, leaning against his staff to straighten himself. His head was pounding. Deep, loud thuds that made everything spin for a moment. He just barely blocked the next hit, earning himself a small cut on his left leg in return.   
  
“Tim!” A voice cut clear into the thickness of the fight. Conner. Conner was still there. The Monitor seemed to notice it as well, because the next hit didn’t come, and his cold eyes wondered from Tim to the other.   
  
“Don’t even think about it.” Tim hissed, voice raspy, breaths loud in between every word. “I’m your opponent.”   
  
“And you are already bleeding to death.” The man answered, eyes darting down to his wound. “I’ve already won, you’re no threat to me. You used everything you had to just barely hold on, and I didn’t even break a sweat.”   
  
“Don’t underestimate me, I’m still standing.” Tim grunted, raising his staff in front of the man’s neck. Even if the Monitor was right, he wasn’t going to admit it. “I’m the one you want.”   
  
“Maybe a week ago. But you made sure I’ll need both of you. So really, between the both of us, you’re the one who killed him.” The Monitor said coldly. Tim used the moment of stillness to grab the other by his collar, moving so he stood between him and Conner.   
  
“Don’t you dare.” He warned again, holding the other back with everything he had left, which wasn’t a lot. He needed just a little more time. But the Monitor just raised one arm, and the energy blast that came out of his hand wasn’t something Tim could stop no matter how hard he tried. It flew right past him, blowing his hair to the side on it’s way straight to Conner. And he could to nothing but watch it hit, causing the other to fall to the ground.   
  
“No!” he screamed, or at least he thought he did. It almost sounded like someone else shouted this for him.   
“Conner!” 

 

\----

 

_ These were the small hours before morning, it was still dark out, and Tim sat in the Batcave, scribbling something into a piece of paper. In his room, Dick was watching Conner. Down here Alfred was sitting not too far away from him, reading a book. Tim looked up at the computer and sighed.   
  
_ _ “When do you think B will be back?”   
  
_ _ Alfred raised his eyes from the book. “I believe Master Bruce and Master Kent will be back pretty soon.” He nodded. “Are you sure you don’t want to contact them?”   
  
_ _ “No, it’s fine. I can wait” Tim offered a smile, and went back to writing. He had a lot to do, many things to take care of before morning comes. He should probably be in bed, relishing in his moments with Conner, sleeping peacefully in the other’s arm. But he couldn’t. Not right now, not when he had a plan and needed to make sure all the pieces fit.   
  
_ _ Less than an hour later, Batman and Superman came back from a night patrol at Gotham. When they got in, Clark was talking about something that happened to him while fighting a monster. Something like that, Tim wasn’t really listening. Bruce was, but he stopped Clark when they got in and saw Tim waiting.   
_ _ “I guess since you’re waiting here and not resting, that means you want to talk.” Bruce stated more than asked. He took off his cowl, placing it on the table near the computer before moving towards Tim. Clark hovered behind him, peeking at them and waiting.   
  
_ _ “Yeah, well. I have a plan.” Tim nodded, moving his eyes from one man to another. “At least, I think so. There’s a few things I need to sort out first.”   
  
_ _ “Okay, talk.” Bruce nodded.   
  
_ _ “The cab driver.” Tim started, but Bruce didn’t wait for him to finish.   
  
_ _ “Said he lost control on the car, thought he saw a dog on the road or something but couldn’t tell for sure. We paid his medical bills and got him a new Cab to keep him quiet.”   
  
_ _ “So, he didn’t see the Monitor on the road…” Tim hummed. “That’s what I thought.”   
  
_ _ “Why are you asking?” Clark wondered.   
  
_ _ “Conner saw him. The Monitor.” Tim explained, gently tapping on the table with his fingers.    
  
_ _ “And you think that means The Monitor wants him.” Bruce didn’t need much more explaining to understand what his former protege was thinking.   
  
_ _ “Yeah.” Tim nodded. “Because when he confronted me in Conner’s apartment, he said he doesn’t want any witnesses. I guess now that I told you about him that cat is out of the bag.  But Conner saw him before I told you, so I thought that maybe he’s now also a part of the Monitor’s plan.” He sighed. “Or maybe he just used me all along in order to get to him.”      
  
_ _ “I understand.” Bruce nodded.   
  
_ _ “So, what do you want to do about it?” Clark asked, crossing his arms as he leaned against the desk.   
  
_ _ “I can’t tell you.” Tim gave them an apologetic smile. “These Monitors seem to know a lot. What if they’re always listening? That means I spoil my plan, and the element of surprise is important.”  
  
_ _ “Okay, then… should we guess?” Clark offered a calm smiled, but still cocked an eyebrow in wonder.   
  
_ _ “No.” Tim shook his head, finally, he picked up the piece of paper he was writing on for the past hour and handed it to Bruce. On it were numbers and letters, seemingly randomly organized.   
_ _ “I’m going to leave the house at about seven. Once I do, give this paper to Dick. He’ll know what to do.”   
  
_ _ “Very well.” Bruce nodded, and folded the paper into his belt. Tim got up on his feet, passing his eyes again between the three men in the room. After a small delay, he smiled, and leaned in to hug Bruce.   
  
_ _ “Thanks.”  
_ _ Bruce seemed genuinely surprised, for just one moment, before he allowed a soft smile to rise to his face. He patted Tim on the back, slowly and in a calming manner. Tim didn’t know if he completely forgave Bruce for not searching after him. But right now he found comfort in hugging him. He really did miss him all this time, and it was so good to be back.   
  
_ _ “Don’t worry.” Bruce broke the silence with words that were so untypical it was almost weird. Tim grinned, and hugged a little tighter before he released him. The, he turned towards the manor, pressing on Alfred’s shoulder on his way.  _

 

\----

 

_ It was very early in the morning, but it’s not like he was sleeping anyway, so Dick didn’t really care when Bruce called him down to the Batcave. He did somewhat care, however, when he heard a window cracking open, and the a small thud, and footsteps. He recognized that rhythm, the weight, the way he moved until he walked right behind him. Dick smiled, he didn’t need to look in order to know who it was.   
_ _ “Hey Jaybird. Couldn’t stay away?”   
  
_ _ “A little bird told me there’s going to be some action.” Jason said, voice so casual Dick could just tell he was shrugging.   
  
_ _ “Ah, so you did get my text.” Dick allowed himself a smile.   
  
_ _ Jason huffed. “Why wouldn’t I?”   
  
_ _ “Well, usually when you get a text, you answer.” Dick nodded. That earned him a small, gentle hit on his back.   
  
_ _ “I’m here right?” Jason said. “There’s my answer.”   
  
_ _ Dick stopped in order to open the secret entrance to the Batcave, and they both went down there. The cave was it’s usual, chilly place, with the buzzing of computers always working.  Clark and Bruce were already waiting there, talking between themselves about one thing or another. They stopped once Dick and Jason arrived and turned to look at the young men. If Bruce was surprised to see Jason there, he didn’t show it. Just nodded slightly at his direction before turning to Dick.  
  
_ _ “Okay, so what’s this about?” Dick wondered passing his eyes between the two older heroes. Bruce looked as serious as usual, so you couldn’t really guess. Then, he moved and took a small piece of paper from his utility belt, handing it to Dick.   
  
_ _ “Tim asked us to give you this.” He said. Dick stared at him for a second before taking the paper. So he was right, it really was important. He opened the letter, looking at the numbers and letters seemingly randomly ordered on the page, and a smile rose to his lips.   
_ _ “Oh man, I haven’t seen this in a while.” Behind him, Jason was peeking at the letter, snickering to himself after a moment.   
  
_ _ “What is this?” Clark wondered.   
  
_ _ “It’s our Robin code.” Dick explained. “You know, so we can pass messages between us without Bats knowing everything. Used to be really basic when Jay and I started it, but Tim brought it up to a whole new level once he started.”   
  
_ _ “Why am I not surprised?” Clark grinned.   
  
_ _ “You’ll have time for nostalgia later.” Bruce stopped them, crossing his arms. “For now, I need you to read this, we are most likely short of time.”   
  
_ _ “Okay.” Dick nodded, turning his eyes back to the letter. Tim’s hand writing was a little shaky, as if he was trying to think what to write while he was writing it. Still, the code was perfect, and easy to read. He couldn’t expect any less from Tim. Dick read the letter once, and then once more.   
  
_ _ ‘ _ Hey Dick.   
Don’t read this out loud, I don’t want any cosmic entity listening. I think it’s best if we keep things a secret for as long as possible. That way, we won't blow our chance.  
Anyway, don’t panic, but I’m going to play bait again. Which means you guys are going to have to come and pick me up. I’m going to leave the manor at seven and head west into the woods. From my previous fight with the Monitor, I estimate I can hold him off by myself for about six minutes. So that should give you enough time to get there before something bad happens.   
Don’t waste your time explaining, just get out as soon as you can.   
See you soon, I hope.’  
  
_ Typical. He had to know Tim would go and do something like this. It was a logical solution, sure, but he wished the boy would have just talked to them first. He took in a deep breath, and then let it out slowly. Next to him, Jason spoke.   
  
_ _ “Oh man, the boy’s crazy.”   
  
_ _ “What is it?” Bruce wondered, already reaching for his cowl, lying in wait next to him on the desk.   
  
_ _ “We…” Dick sighed once more, dropping the page before he started moving. He didn’t have a lot of time to get ready. “We have to get moving.”  _

 

\----

 

At the back of his head, Tim could hear the sounds of Batman’s motorcycle getting closer. Another cycle, probably Dick’s, though it sounded more like Jason’s. He could also hear the loud thud as Superman landed on the ground somewhere behind him.   
None of it mattered.   
It was too late.   
  
He already made his way to Conner, fumbling, leaning against his staff so that he won’t fall halfway there. A red trail of blood being left behind him as he moved. It’s too late. He wasn’t good enough, he fucked up. Tim crashed down to his knees next to Conner, placing one, red stained hand on his cheek and caressing it lightly. He was still breathing… barely, breaths shallow, slow.  
“Conner…” Tim whispered, gently tilting the other’s face so he could look at him. His eyes were half lidded already, blue irises still holding, but losing it quickly. “No, no, no, no… Conner. Stay with me.” Tim shook his head, biting at his lower lip. What have he done? How could he have been so reckless? To just bring him here like that. He should’ve left him behind. It was so arrogant, to think he’ll be safer with him. So arrogant and now it’s killed him.   
  
“...That hurt.” Conner hummed, voice shaky. “A lot…”   
  
Somewhere behind his back a battle was going. He could hear familiar voices grunting, punching. Jason’s guns shooting, the small buzzing sound of Superman’s heat vision. Everything going on at once. Tim couldn’t bring himself to turn around and look at the battle, to check who was winning. It didn’t matter at all.  
  
“I know.” He closed his eyes for a moment, fighting back the tears that threatened escaping down his cheeks. “But you have to stay with me Conner. Okay? You have to, we’ll get you treatment I promise. You just… Just stay with me a little longer.”   
  
“Don’t... think I… can.” Conner coughed.   
  
“No, no. You have to.” Tim could feel his own voice breaking. “You have to you hear me? We can fix this. We can get through this okay? I only just met you...” These were empty promises and he knew this. There wasn’t even a wound he could pretend to know how to treat. Conner was already slipping, drifting far away from him to a place he might just follow soon after. He’s dying in front of his eyes and there’s nothing he can do to save him. How pathetic. He pressed one hand against his mouth, burying a whimper.  
  
“It’s… okay.” Conner breathed, barely audible. Not much more than his lips just mouthing the words at Tim. Tim shook his head violently in response.  
  
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…” He whispered, over and over. He barely gave note to the feeling that sparked in the back of his head. A warm feeling of remembering something familiar, that was washed up so quickly by grief and despair he didn’t have the time to realize what it meant. He leaned down, only stopping when his mouth was near Conner’s ear. Whispering so silently only both of them could hear it.   
“Don’t leave me again, my cloneboy.”   
  
But no answer came.   
  
It was too late for them.   
  
And now, Tim Drake truly believed he was going to die.     
  
This time, it was nothing heroic. He couldn’t save anyone, not even himself. And he just sat there, bleeding to death, covering his face with his hands and trying desperately to stop himself from shaking. This time he wasn’t ready, wasn’t accepting. There were so many things left unsaid, things he’ll never have the chance to say any more. Things he’ll never know. Maybe that, too, didn’t matter. Maybe that was his punishment for not figuring things out, not remembering sooner.   
  
None of this even felt real. Somewhere, in what sounded like it was really far away, he could hear someone yelling his name.   
  
“Tim!” The voice said. Dick… that was Dick’s voice. “Watch out!”   
  
But he didn’t care. He was too weak to move out of the way. His limbs felt heavy, motionless. He closed his eyes and waited for a finishing blow.   
  
But the hit never came.   
  
“Holy…” Someone muttered behind him. Finally, Tim allowed himself to open his eyes. What he saw there seemed impossible. Because he saw Conner, sitting, one arm stretch forward to stop the Monitor from getting any closer to Tim. If it wasn’t for the audible reaction that got him to open his eye, he would’ve thought this is just his hallucination.   
  
“...You’re strong.” He found himself mumbling, barely managing to think of something to say. But Conner smiled, his face as bright as the sun, and chuckled.   
  
“Yeah. Looks like it.” His arm was shaking under the pressure, but it didn’t cave in. Until finally, the Monitor broke off the hold, pulling his hand back and standing straight.   
  
“I was too late?” For the first time since Tim met him, the Monitor sounded confused. “Impossible.” He stared down at both of them. First at Tim, and then at Conner, who just shrugged in response. Then Conner pulled back, building momentum as he geared in for another punch. Tim thought Conner managed the hit, but he didn’t get to see the punch connect. No one did. Because a bright light flashed, swallowing all of them in white, making everything disappear and then turn black. Was it because of the fight? Or was it an act initiated by powers greater than theirs? He just had to add this to the list of things he didn’t know.   
  
When he woke up, he was lying on the ground, and his head was pounding and turning as if he just recently fainted. A few meters away from him he saw Bruce, Clark, Dick and Jason, all waking up in a similar manner to his. So most likely that boom really did happen, and he wasn’t dreaming, or dead. And it that was real...   
  
“Conner-?!” He called, pulling himself to a sitting position only to whine in pain as the cut sent a deep, agonizing pain through his body and blood started dripping again.   
  
“Don’t-” A voice said, a familiar voice, warm and light. Two strong hands caught him as Conner pushed him back to the ground. “I’m gonna stop the bleeding, it’s gonna hurt. Okay?” Tim nodded, and Conner just stared down, shooting two red, careful beams that burned the cut until it closed. It was painful enough to get Tim to shout, and fold in on himself. Stinging and burning until he wanted to hit something, but it also saved his life. And even more importantly.   
  
“You got your powers back…” He muttered, eyes shooting wide open as he almost sat up again. “I remember. Holy shit… Superboy. I remember that.”   
  
“A-ah” Conner nodded, this time he reached down to support Tim in his attempt to rise up, making sure he won't fall back down. “And I remember you…” He pulled Tim into his arms, holding him close enough so he could whisper the next words straight into his ear. “My Robin.”   
  
“Oh great.” From behind them, Jason spoke as he rose up to his feet. “And I remember how annoying both of you are!” That should’ve been an insult, but Tim ignored it, laughing at the audible “Ouch!” that came out of Jason when Dick probably punched his arm. Instead, he turned to look at Conner, raising one hand up to try and wipe the blood of his face. It didn’t work, obviously, just smeared more red instead. But it didn’t really matter. Because Conner picked him in his arms and stood up.   
  
“You’re still weak. You need better treatment than that.” He said, “I’m taking you back to the cave.”   
  
“Okay.” Tim nodded, wrapping his hands around the other as Conner kicked off of the ground, flying up until they were above the treetops. He couldn’t help but stare, and couldn’t help smile like an idiot this whole time. Almost as if he didn’t lose way too much blood, almost as if his body wasn’t aching terribly. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered right now more than the boy holding him and flying. The boy he just managed to bring back into his life in an impressive event filled with luck and bad choices. The boy he couldn’t believe he managed to forget, even if only for a while. The boy who glanced back at him, smiled brightly, and said.   
  
“Can I kiss you?”   
  
Tim let out a short laugh. “Do you know why this time?”  
  
“Yes.” Conner leaned in until their foreheads touched. “Yes I do.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So hey, look like we're mostly done! Only a short epilogue left, no more suffering.   
> Thank you all for reading!


	12. Epilogue

“Hey, wake up.” Conner’s voice woke him up from his sleep, and Tim grunted, still trying to hold onto a few more minutes of rest. After everything ended, his sleeping schedule went back to normal. Well, his normal. Which for now meant things turned around and it was almost always Conner’s job to wake up early and make the coffee.   
  
A second, careful nudge to his arm caused Tim to grunt again and murmur something that was impossible to understand. Conner let out a soft laugh, and leaned in to plant a short kiss on Tim’s temple.   
  
“How are you feeling?” Conner murmured, moving to pass his fingers through Tim’s bangs.   
  
“Fine.” Tim finally opened his eyes, turning his gaze to the other. “The wound really doesn't hurt anymore.” About two weeks had passed since their fight with the Monitor, since the day he got Conner and his memories back, and Tim was healing nicely. He still had an ugly mark on the side of his body, probably a scar for good. But Kon didn’t care, instead, Conner moved lower to pepper a kiss right on the bandages covering the healing wound.   
  
“It looks fine.” He nodded, and Tim had to remind himself for a moment that yeah, x-ray vision was a thing again.   
  
“Told you.” He hummed, and then pushed himself up to sit on the bed. “Ready for the big day?”   
  
“So you  _ do _ remember.” Conner laughed, though he didn’t really look surprised at all. He had no doubt Tim won’t forget anything important. Tim smiled, passed a hand through his hair, and nodded.   
  
“How could I forget our trip to Kansas? You’ve been talking about it all day yesterday.” He mentioned, and for a moment Conner looked a little guilty and a lot embarrassed. Tim leaned forward, placing one hand on the other’s cheek and caressing it in a calming manner.   
“Excited to meet your little brother?”   
  
Conner’s face turned red, and he let out a big sigh. “I mean… What if he doesn’t like me? I don’t want him to feel like I’m taking his place you know? I’m fine with a new Superboy existing and all, but what if he doesn’t see it that way? He’s just a kid, you know.”   
  
“Oh…” considering his experience with the demon child that was Damian, he better not share any past events about their passing of the mantle. “I’m sure it’s going to be okay. Jon sounds like a good kid.”   
  
“I’m not saying he isn’t. I’m just…” Conner hesitated, but Tim ushered a gentle, reassuring smile to his face.   
  
“I’m sure he’ll love you.”   
  
Conner let out a weary laugh. “How are you so sure?”   
  
“Because I do.”    
That got Conner to stop for a moment, and then a wide grin snuck onto his face. He leaned forward, cupping Tim’s head with both hands and catching his lips in a long kiss. It tasted sweet and warm, and Tim practically melted into it.   
  
“If you’re trying to get me to bring you coffee to bed.” Conner hummed against his mouth. “It’s not working.”    
  
“Liar.” He giggled back, and Conner’s smirk grew wider.   
  
“You got me.” He chuckled. Finally, Conner broke away from the almost kissing state they were in. He picked Tim up with ease, ignoring the small, obligatory cry of protest that wasn’t even convincing, and went towards the kitchen. It was a quiet, bright morning, and sun spilled in from the open windows. A good day for a trip. With an easy gesture, Conner let Tim down from his hands and into a chair. Then he turned away and started making two cups of coffee. In these few silent moments Tim allowed himself to stare at the other. At his wide back, arms, the slight way his mouth twitched into a smile, his blue eyes examining the amounts of coffee and water and milk. It all seemed crazy, like a dream. But it was real, far more real than anything else that happened to him in the last few months. There was something calming about it.  
  
“Do you ever think about the others?” He asked quietly, resting his head on his hands and his elbows on the table.   
  
“The others?” Kon wondered.   
  
“Like, our other teammates, from the past.” Tim explained. “The ones we still don’t remember.”   
  
For a sliver of a second, Conner stopped stirring the milk. The expression on his face changed into a heavier one, and he sighed. “Yeah, sometimes I do.” He admitted.   
  
“I wish we had more to go on… names, powers, anything.” Tim shrugged, as if trying to make is seem like it’s not a big deal, even though it most definitely was. “We really have nothing to move forward with.”   
  
“Well, that’s not true.” The somber moment passed, and the calm, sure expression already made it’s way back to Conner’s face. He turned for the table, placing one mug in front of Tim before he sat down with his mug. Tim closed his eyes, inhaling the warm aroma. “We have each other, that’s already a start. I believe we can find them.” Conner continued.   
  
“Yeah, well find them.” Tim let a grin rise to his lips as he picked up the cup. “We’ll do it together.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, we're finally done! I'm very please with this story, thank you so much for reading all of it! 
> 
> If you want, you are welcome to follow me on twitter/tumblr for my art as well.   
> Here's a recent TimKon piece I made! It's not directly related to the fic, but it is TimKon, so you might like that as well.  
> https://twitter.com/ShaniGrim/status/893982395493494784


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